Paige Wyatt: Adopted By Leo
by Daicy
Summary: Set during the second season of Charmed. Leo adopted baby Paige and raised her. Including loads more of: Magic, Matthews, Marriage, Dan, Demons, Derek, Dark Lighters, Witches, White Lighters, Warlocks, Wyatts, Wilder, Halliwells, Henry, and other surprises along the way. This story follows on from 'Paige Wyatt meets the Halliwells' which was based on season one of Charmed.
1. Witch Trial (And Talking Things Through)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed, or any of its characters. No copyright intended.

**Brief PWMTH (a.k.a. Season One) Summary:** If you have not read _Paige Wyatt meets The Halliwells_, it may be helpful to read that first. If not, don't worry, because it is pretty simple to follow along with the season two plot as long as you know the following: Paige is Leo's adopted daughter. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe do not know this. Paige knows that she is a witch-white lighter and she knows who her parents are, as do Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo. Piper and Leo are dating. Andy did not die at the end of season one! Yay! Andy proposed to Prue in the season one finale. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe have their normal powers from the canon season one – and any canon season two power developments will take place within season two. Paige is being trained by Leo to use her white lighter abilities. The Elders did grant her telepathy in season one, but they took it away when they found out she had not told them she was a witch. I think that is about all you need to know. Oh and I guess having watched season two of _Charmed_ is also useful for you.

**A/N:** So here we are about to start _Witch Trial_. It has never been a particular favourite of mine. The canon episode was quite bland and I always felt like _Morality Bites_ should have been the season two opener instead of _Witch Trial_. However I realise that the Prue getting over Andy's death stuff was important. Oh, and as to the beginning scene with Piper snogging the banker friend: I have had to change that slightly because in my version Piper and Leo are dating properly by now. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One: Witch Trial (And Talking Things Through)**

A whole month had gone by since Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had vanquished Tempus. Prue and Andy had decided to keep their engagement short, and were due to have their wedding any day now.

Paige had spent the past month away from the manor. She had spent it being trained by Leo, because she wanted to get her white lighter abilities mastered. Within a month of a strict training regime, Paige was now able to orb properly and she was only starting on the basics of how to glamour. However, she was still unable to levitate, and Leo had not even started to teach her how to heal people.

The Elders had offered to give Paige back the telepathy powers that they had previously granted her. However, Paige had refused to take it back. Now that she knew she was part white lighter, why did she want to have second hand witch powers? She wanted to discover what her own witch powers were… Discovering that she had a hidden white lighter side had increased her determination to find out what her natural witch powers were. They could be lying dormant inside her like her white lighter abilities had been.

Since both Paige and Leo were invited to the wedding, Leo had decided that they should put Paige's training on hold. During that month, Leo had been split between training Paige, helping charges, and going back and forth from the manor to see Piper.

It was the evening and Leo had just concluded Paige's training for the day – they did not know when they would start up training again. Leo had left to answer a charge's call. Paige packed her things up in her suitcase and orbed straight into the foyer of Halliwell manor.

Paige was in a good mood. Therefore as she orbed into the foyer, she shouted, 'Good evening, sister witches!'

'What is wrong with this family?' Piper shouted from the living room.

Paige noticed Phoebe standing by the living room door, giggling at Paige.

Paige walked around the corner into the living room. Piper was sitting on the sofa, glaring at Paige. Next to Piper on the sofa was some guy. He was frozen. Piper got off the sofa and approached Paige.

'What is up with you and Phoebe?' said Piper.

'Phoebe? What did she do?' asked Paige puzzled.

Prue walked in, finishing up a conversation on her phone. Prue stood by Phoebe as Piper continued talking to Paige.

'She just pulled the exact same 'sister witches' line, even though I have company!' moaned Piper.

'Oops,' said Paige. 'I guess he is not supernatural.'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'You think?'

'Who is he?' asked Paige.

'A banker friend that I am hoping to get a loan off,' said Piper. 'We were having a meeting, discussing the finances.'

'Did he see me orb in?' asked Paige.

'No,' said Piper. 'He was looking down at the papers. He would have heard you though.'

'Oops, but he would not believe I actually meant witches,' said Paige.

'He will probably think it is some sort of joke, considering Phoebe did it too,' said Piper.

'How was I supposed to know Phoebe would say it first?' said Paige.

Piper sighed. 'Look, Prue, you are going to have to go outside again.'

'Piper, you already made me go back outside,' said Prue. 'It is cold.'

'Yeah, well, thank Phoebe and Paige for deciding to make me freeze him twice, between forcing you out of the house,' said Piper.

Prue sighed and went back outside. Phoebe and Paige returned to their previous positions. Piper went back to the sofa and unfroze the banker friend. Paige walked over to Phoebe. Prue came in from the front door and stood by Phoebe and Paige.

'Rob, can we take a rain check on sorting out the details for the club?' asked Piper. 'It is getting kind of crowded in here.'

'Sure,' said the banker friend, standing up.

The banker friend grabbed his coat and left. After he had shut the door, Piper turned back to her sisters.

'Er, Piper, what's the club?' asked Paige. 'I thought you meant the loan was for the manor, considering the number of times you have to pay to get windows – and the grandfather clock – fixed.'

'The club is my new business venture,' said Piper.

'I thought you worked at Quake,' said Paige.

'She quit a few days after we vanquished Tempus,' said Phoebe.

'You left the day before she decided to hand in her resignation,' said Prue.

That was true. Paige had made the decision to leave for a while to train with Leo because she had wanted to avoid Prue. Prue had wanted to discuss the power produced when the four of them said a spell at the same time. However Paige did not want to be part of the discussion. Although Piper and Phoebe were also interested in finding the answer, they were not as determined as Prue. Therefore in order to avoid Prue, Paige had quickly made the decision to go and train with Leo. However, she could not avoid Prue's wedding – Prue was her sister after all – and Paige did miss hanging out with all three of her sisters.

Paige frowned. 'So if you have decided to open your own place, why did you not decide to open a restaurant?'

'Restaurants are a lot more expensive to run than clubs,' explained Piper.

'You are getting a loan from the bank though,' said Paige. 'Why not get a bigger loan?'

'It is hard enough as it is to try and convince the bank to give me this loan,' said Piper. 'The bigger the loan, the harder it is to get.'

With the conversation over, Paige picked up her cases and began to drag them up the staircase. Prue and Piper decided to give her a hand with some of the cases.

'Wait, you guys,' said Phoebe.

Prue, Piper, and Paige stopped halfway up the staircase. This was difficult considering how heavy the cases were. They turned to see Phoebe standing in the foyer with her hands on her hips.

'Where are you going?' asked Phoebe when she saw she had their attention.

'Isn't it obvious..?' said Paige. 'Up the stairs…'

Piper laughed. 'I see you are not used to Phoebe's questions after a whole month away from here.'

Paige smiled. 'I guess you are right.'

'Pheebs, we are going upstairs to help move Paige's cases back into the attic,' said Prue.

'She can orb up there with them later,' said Phoebe.

Paige laughed. 'Do you think I orb all the time now?'

Phoebe nodded. 'Come on. With a power like that, why would you ever want to walk again?'

Paige shrugged. 'I thought I would keep the orbing to a minimum now that I am back home.'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'Your earlier entrance begs to differ.'

Paige blushed. She picked up one of her cases again and started to go up the stairs. Prue and Piper followed suit.

'Wait,' said Phoebe again.

Paige put her case back down. So did Prue and Piper.

'Yes?' said Prue.

'Don't you know what tomorrow is?' asked Phoebe.

Paige looked at Piper and said, 'Now do you believe me that she asks stupid questions whether you are used to it or not?'

Phoebe rolled her eyes. 'I am not that stupid. I know tomorrow is Prue's wedding day.'

Prue laughed. 'You are the one who asked the question, not us.'

'I was not on about your wedding,' said Phoebe. 'It is also our one year anniversary of becoming witches!'

'Not mine,' said Paige.

'Sorry, Paige,' said Phoebe apologetically. 'It is still a big thing that Prue, Piper, and I became witches on this day last year.'

'Yes, but that better not overshadow the fact that tomorrow is my wedding,' said Prue adamantly.

'Er, right,' said Phoebe. 'It is still a day to celebrate though.'

'Yes, but it is only a day to celebrate because it is my wedding day,' said Prue, trying not to get annoyed with her little sister.

'Prue, you cannot ignore that tomorrow is the most powerful wiccan day of the year, the autumnal equinox,' said Phoebe.

'Pheebs, I will say this nicely. Please stop trying to take the spotlight off my wedding day,' said Prue through gritted teeth.

'Take the hint and run, Pheebs,' giggled Paige.

Piper nodded in agreement to Paige's words.

Ten minutes later, Paige's belongings were back in the attic. She had set them out and she had noticed that a bed had been added to the attic.

'Surprise,' said Piper. 'We thought you would find that easier to sleep on than the old sofa.'

'I did not need a bed,' said Paige, sitting down on the attic sofa which had been positioned on the other side of the attic.

'Yes you did,' said Piper.

A _ding_ sound was heard from downstairs.

'That means Prue's cake is done!' said Piper happily, leaving the attic.

Prue laughed. 'I made Piper the official cake baker for the wedding. It is not difficult to tell that she enjoys the role.'

'So I can tell,' said Paige.

Prue sat down on the attic sofa next to Paige.

'Paige, we need to talk,' said Prue seriously.

'I think I hear Piper calling my name,' said Paige hurriedly.

Paige orbed downstairs into the kitchen.

'Paige! What happened to keeping orbing to a minimum now that you are back home?' moaned Piper. Paige's appearance had made her jump in fright while holding the wedding cake.

'You were the one that pointed out that I was making that up,' laughed Paige.

Piper smiled. She began to apply frosting to the cake.

'That cake looks gorgeous,' said Paige.

'It should do,' said Piper. 'I would have started again by now if it did not.'

'So what are the timings for tomorrow?' asked Paige.

'Wake up at six. Make last minute phone calls to ensure everything else is sorted for the day. Wake Prue up at seven. Hair and make up and anything that comes under that category needs to be sorted by eleven. Andy and Darryl will show up at eleven. The ceremony will start at midday,' said Piper, not taking her eyes off the cake as she decorated it intricately.

'I cannot believe how much effort you are putting into the cake when there are so few guests,' said Paige.

'Prue wanted the wedding to be small and simple,' said Piper. 'However the food I make is never going to be small and simple.'

'So the wedding is literally just going to be Prue, Andy, you, Leo, Phoebe, Darryl, and me? Who is performing the ceremony?' asked Paige.

'Oh. Did I forget to mention that the priest is showing up at half eleven?' said Piper.

'Yes you did,' said Paige.

'Paige!'

Piper and Paige looked at the kitchen door where Prue was entering angrily.

'Paige, I said I need to talk to you!' said Prue. 'Don't run off like that!'

'Piper called me down here,' lied Paige, slightly scared by Prue's anger.

'No I did not…' said a puzzled Piper. Then Piper turned on Prue and said, 'Prue, you promised you would not get into a bad mood before your wedding! All this stress is not good for you!'

'I promised I would not argue with Phoebe,' said Prue. 'I never said anything about not arguing with Paige.'

Piper sighed. 'Prue, whatever you need to talk to Paige about can wait. I am not letting anything ruin your wedding. Nothing family related, nothing money related, and definitely nothing magic related.'

Prue took a deep breath. 'Fine, but Paige… You know what I want to talk to you about.'

Prue left the kitchen. Piper looked at Paige.

'Paige, what is it that she wants you to talk about?' asked Piper, concern in her voice.

Paige sighed. She sat down on a chair and looked away from Piper.

'I have a feeling that Prue thinks that I left so quickly last month because I have been avoiding her… because I don't want to talk about what happened when the four of us said that spell at once…' said Paige.

'Is Prue right? Is that really why you left so quickly?' asked Piper.

Paige did not answer. All she did was gulp.

'I take that as a yes,' said Piper.

* * *

All four sisters went off to bed relatively early that night. Prue wanted as much sleep as possible before her big day. Piper wanted an early night as she would be up early the next morning. Phoebe and Paige knew that Piper would be forcing them to get up early the next morning too, so they decided they had better get some sleep while they could.

Paige was tossing and turning on her bed in the attic. It was definitely more comfortable than the attic sofa, but Paige could not sleep. She knew that a conversation with Prue was due after the wedding. Paige also knew that she did not want to take part in that conversation.

Paige stood up and took the Book of Shadows off of its stand. Paige took the Book over to the bed with her and lay down as she flicked through it. She was not looking for anything in particular or for anything at all. She just felt comforted having the Book to look through when unable to sleep.

* * *

A breeze woke Paige up early next morning. Paige did not open her eyes. She tried to pull her cover further over her. She could hear something that sounded like flapping. Paige opened her eyes. The Book of Shadows was flipping pages by itself. Paige stared wide eyed at it. Had it ever done that before? Paige was about to shout for her sisters to come upstairs, but then she remembered it was Prue's wedding day. Paige did not want to spoil the start of Prue's wedding day with a commotion, especially if the flipping Book did not turn out to be important.

Paige orbed into Phoebe's room. Phoebe was fast asleep.

'Phoebe, wake up! Quick!' hissed Paige.

'Five more minutes,' mumbled Phoebe, not opening her eyes.

'Phoebe!' hissed Paige.

'Not now!' mumbled Phoebe, refusing to open her eyes or sit up.

Paige grabbed Phoebe's arm and orbed them into Piper's room. As Phoebe had been lying down, she fell straight to the floor of Piper's bedroom. The noise startled Piper. Phoebe slowly stood up, rubbing her aching back.

'Paige,' moaned Phoebe groggily.

'What are you two doing in here?' asked Piper, looking at her alarm clock. 'It is five forty. We are not scheduled to be up for another twenty minutes.'

'The Book has other ideas,' said Paige.

Piper looked angry while Phoebe looked worried.

'The Book? Magic decides to interrupt such an important day?' said Piper angrily.

'Shouldn't we go to the attic now if something is happening?' asked Phoebe.

Paige nodded. Piper and Phoebe took Paige's hands and Paige orbed them to the attic.

The Book of Shadows was still on Paige's bed, flipping from page to page. Suddenly the Book came to a stop on a specific page. Phoebe approached the Book and began to read out loud:

'Rite of Passage. Fight it with the Power of One or else,' read Phoebe.

Before Phoebe could finish reading it, a vortex opened up in the wall. Inside the vortex sat a demon. A gust of wind sent the Book flying into the vortex. The vortex closed.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged worried looks.

'The Book is _gone_?!' said Piper hysterically.

'That demon… He _stole_ the Book? How did he _steal_ the Book? No one can _steal _the Book! It is _our_ Book!' Phoebe said quickly and quietly.

'What do we do? Do we try and figure out how to go after him?' asked Paige.

'We need Prue,' said Phoebe.

'No,' said Piper resolutely. 'Prue cannot know that the Book is gone. Prue cannot know that a demon stole it. Prue cannot know that we are trying to get the Book back. Nothing is going to ruin Prue's wedding day.'

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so not much happened in this chapter. This chapter was mainly an introduction to the second season. Hopefully there will be more action in the next chapter. Please review!


	2. Witch Trial (And The Or Word)

**A/N:** This chapter marks the introduction of two of what seems to be _Charmed_'s least liked regular characters: Dan and Jenny. Quite honestly, I preferred Dan and Jenny to the disastrous new regular of season eight called Billie. Anyway, everyone has their own opinion.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Witch Trial (And The Or Word)**

Piper had left Phoebe and Paige to clear up the attic – the gust of wind had caused a big mess, sending the attic's contents and Paige's stuff everywhere – while Piper went downstairs to set the manor up for the wedding.

'What do you think that demon was?' Phoebe asked Paige as she picked up a pile of papers and put them in a cabinet drawer.

'I don't know. I have never seen it before,' said Paige.

'That's odd. I always thought you were a walking-talking Book of Shadows,' laughed Phoebe.

Paige threw a sock at Phoebe.

'I wish you, Prue, and Piper would stop assuming that about me,' said Paige.

'Okay. So we have no idea what that demon was… What do you think he wants with the Book?' asked Phoebe.

'What do _you_ think?' asked Paige.

'I don't know. A demon cannot cast spells, can they?' said Phoebe. 'What could a demon possibly do with a witches' spell book?'

'The Book of Shadows is more than just a spell book, isn't it?' asked Paige.

Phoebe went pale. 'The Book has been written in by many Warren and Halliwell witches. The things he could learn about our heritage from the Book… Do you think he could learn how to defeat us? Learn our weaknesses?'

'I think our biggest weakness is not having the Book at hand,' said Paige.

'Do you think Leo could help us out?' Phoebe asked Paige.

'I guess asking him will not hurt,' said Paige. 'Do we call him now or wait until when he shows up later for the wedding?'

'Now. We don't want Prue getting suspicious if Leo disappears during her wedding to check something with the Elders,' said Phoebe.

'Good point,' said Paige. 'Leo!'

'Shush, you don't want Prue to hear you calling for Leo,' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded. At a slightly lower volume, Paige said, 'Leo!'

Leo orbed into the attic. He was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans.

'I hope you won't be turning up wearing that later today. Prue and Piper would go nuts,' laughed Phoebe.

'Phoebe, it is seven o'clock in the morning. It will not take me four hours to change,' said Leo. 'Did you call me for wedding reasons or..?' Leo trailed off, obviously not wanting to jinx anything.

'Unfortunately, Leo, the answer is or,' said Phoebe.

Leo sighed. 'Today of all days. Have you used the Book of Shadows to identify the demon yet?'

'It's not possible,' said Phoebe.

'What do you mean by not possible?' asked Leo. 'Is the demon not in the Book?'

'No, the demon took the Book,' said Phoebe. 'Paige, do you mind if I leave you to explain? I am supposed to be helping downstairs and Prue knows Piper's schedule for the morning, so if I am not downstairs, Prue will probably get suspicious.'

Paige nodded. Phoebe left the attic.

'So I guess that Prue does not know about the demon attack?' said Leo.

'I would not say attack. I would say burglary,' said Paige. 'And we thought it would be best for Prue not to know. We don't want to ruin her big day.'

Leo nodded. He furrowed his brow. 'The demon _stole_ the Book? I cannot think of a specific demon that would do that. Most demons have their eyes on the claiming the Book, but I cannot understand how a demon could successfully _steal_ the Book. That should not be possible.'

'It obviously is,' said Paige. 'So you don't have a clue which demon it could be either?'

Leo shook his head. 'I will have to check with the Elders.'

Paige nodded. 'Can you make sure to be back in time for Prue's wedding?'

Leo smiled. 'Of course.'

Paige waited for Leo to orb out, but he did not.

'What are you waiting for?' Paige asked Leo.

'I was thinking,' said Leo.

'Thinking what?' asked Paige.

'You are so close to your sisters now. I could tell you missed them throughout the whole month that you were away training. You seem happy to be back here,' said Leo.

'What are you getting at?' asked Paige.

'Your sisters should know that you are my adopted daughter,' said Leo.

'No,' said Paige decisively.

'Paige, I do not understand why you do not want to tell them,' said Leo. 'We are no longer undercover. They know that I am their white lighter. They know that you are my apprentice. Why can they not know that you are my adopted daughter?'

'The question is: When are you suggesting we tell them?' asked Paige.

'As soon as possible…' said Leo.

'See, there is your problem,' said Paige. 'When you said 'as soon as possible', you were thinking today. We cannot tell them today. Prue does not want anything to take the spotlight off her and Andy and I agree with her that it should be their day. Prue would not even allow the fact that today is their first anniversary of becoming witches to take the spotlight. Imagine if you told them today. How do you think she would react?'

Leo sighed. 'You are right. We have to tell them soon though.'

'Yes, I agree with that,' said Paige. 'However today is not possible.'

Leo nodded. He orbed out.

Paige orbed into the kitchen. She was immediately yelled at to leave the kitchen by Piper, who was busy.

Paige ran into the corridor. She found Phoebe in the foyer. Phoebe was smiling.

'Did you get yelled at for entering the kitchen too?' asked Phoebe.

Paige nodded.

'Piper really gets into the mindset when she gets cooking,' said Phoebe.

'I noticed,' said Paige. 'Where's Prue?'

'In the shower,' said Phoebe.

'So it is safe to talk?' said Paige.

Phoebe nodded.

'Leo has no idea what demon could have stolen the Book. The issue is that so many demons want the Book, so it is hard to narrow it down,' said Paige. 'He has gone to check with the Elders.'

'He has to be back in time for the wedding,' said Phoebe.

'I reminded him of that,' said Paige. 'So I guess we are at a standstill on all of this Book stealing stuff?'

'Not exactly,' said Phoebe. 'I wonder if that Power of One thing is any use.'

'It is hardly any use considering you never had the chance to finish reading it,' said Paige.

'Maybe. Maybe not,' said Phoebe. 'Who do you think the Power of One is? I would have thought Prue. She is the eldest. She is the strongest out of the four of us.'

'You are probably onto something there,' said Paige. 'If you are right and this demon can only be vanquished by the Power of One, then the demon vanquish will have to wait a few weeks and we would have to hope we don't get killed in that time.'

'Why?' said Phoebe.

'If Prue is the Power of One, we cannot tell her today as it would ruin her wedding. Then straight after the wedding, Prue and Andy will be off on their honeymoon for two weeks. I doubt Piper would let us ruin that either.'

Phoebe sighed. 'I think we could fend off a demon for two weeks… I mean, we would still have the Power of Three. Surely the Power of Three is three times as strong as the Power of One?'

Paige shrugged.

Prue came walking down the stairs wearing a dressing gown.

'Morning Prue,' said Paige.

'Morning Paige,' said Prue. 'Did I hear you say something about the Power of Three, Phoebe?'

'No…' said Phoebe. 'I was saying to Paige that I was hoping that the shower would be free. I need a shower.'

'Oh. It is free,' said Prue.

Phoebe nodded. She ran upstairs. Paige smiled. Phoebe had thought extremely fast to get away with that one.

'Paige, do we have time to talk?' Prue asked.

Paige shook her head. 'Not according to Piper's insane schedule. It is eight o'clock, so you should be due to have a makeover any moment now. Go up to your room and I will be there in a second with whichever sister I can find first.'

'Can I at least have my morning coffee first?' said Prue, edging her way towards the kitchen.

'I would not go in there if I was you,' said Paige.

'Why not?' asked Prue stopping.

'Piper will bite your head off,' said Paige.

Prue smiled. 'Thanks for the warning, Paige, but I will risk decapitation just to get my morning dose of coffee.'

'It's your funeral,' laughed Paige.

Prue laughed. Paige watched as Prue disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were all in Prue's bedroom, getting ready.

The doorbell rang.

Piper frowned when she saw the time. 'It is ten o'clock. No one is scheduled to turn up at ten o'clock.'

'I will go and see who it is,' said Paige.

Paige went down to the foyer by foot – she did not orb everywhere, she was not _that_ lazy. Paige opened the front door. A little girl stood at the door.

'Could I use your phone please?' asked the little girl.

'We are a little busy,' said Paige.

'Please? It's an emergency. Please?' said the little girl.

Paige sighed. 'Okay, but be quick.'

The little girl ran in and picked up the phone. She started dialling.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe came down the stairs. They looked inquisitively at the little girl.

'Who's that?' Piper asked Paige.

'I have no idea,' said Paige. 'She said it was important that she used our phone.'

Piper sighed. 'What if someone phones about the wedding? It will be engaged!'

'I am sure this little girl's problem is more important than Prue's wedding,' said Paige.

Paige received two piercing looks when she said this. One from Prue and one from Piper.

'Jenny! Jenny!'

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned around to see a man in his late twenties standing at the porch, peering in. When he noticed them looking at him, he smiled apologetically.

'I am sorry. We are moving in next door, or at least trying to,' said their new neighbour.

'So you are our new neighbour?' asked Prue. 'Nice to meet you. I am Prue Halliwell.'

'Piper Halliwell,' added Piper.

'Phoebe Halliwell,' said Phoebe.

'Paige Matthews,' said Paige. Paige was not too sure where they stood on telling people that she was their sister. To be quite frank, it was getting confusing trying to figure out who knew what.

The man nodded. 'Dan Gordon.' Dan looked at the four sisters' outfits. 'I suddenly feel very underdressed in jeans and a shirt.'

Phoebe giggled. 'Oh. Our outfits? Prue here is about to get married today. That does not matter though because I am single. Are you single?'

Prue, Piper, and Paige rolled their eyes at Phoebe's decision to flirt with the new neighbour.

Jenny hung up the phone and wandered sulkily over to Dan.

'The operator would not patch me through to Saudi Arabia,' said Jenny.

'Saudi Arabia?' said Prue.

'This is my niece, Jenny. I am looking after her while her parents are in Saudi Arabia,' said Dan.

'She seems a good kid,' said Prue, trying to hide her annoyance at the girl who had used their phone for a long distance call.

Dan smiled. 'Yeah, but she does not seem to enjoy my company. Anyway, it's nice meeting you.'

'You too,' said Phoebe smiling.

Dan added, specifically to Prue, 'Have a lovely wedding.'

'Thank you,' said Prue.

'Bye,' said Piper, rather rudely ushering Dan out away from the porch so as she could close the door.

When the door was shut, Phoebe scowled at Piper. 'Piper! Why did you have to be so rude to him?'

'He was making us run behind on schedule. That's why,' said Piper.

* * *

At half past ten, Paige opened the front door to reveal Leo dressed in a suit.

'Are you here as a wedding guest or..?' asked Paige, not wanting to finish the sentence in case Prue was within ear shot.

'A bit of both,' said Leo. 'Piper wanted me here for half ten to help her with a few things. However I had a chance to speak to the… about the…'

'What did the… say about the..?' asked Paige. She and Leo were obviously leaving out specific words so as not to arouse any prying ears, but they still understood what each other were referring to.

'The… said that they do not know which… it could have been. It could have been any… Any… is likely to have the motive of stealing the…' said Leo.

Paige sighed. 'Yes, but not any… can steal the… that easily.'

'Paige, you and your sisters will figure this out soon,' said Leo. 'I trust the four of you.'

'Three,' corrected Paige glumly. 'Prue is not to know, remember?'

'Right,' said Leo.

Leo made his way further into the manor, searching for Piper.

* * *

Paige loitered in the foyer. It was getting close to eleven o'clock and, according to Piper's insane schedule, Paige's role was to open the door when Andy and Darryl got there.

Paige heard a sudden commotion from the kitchen. Leo orbed into the foyer hurriedly.

'Kitchen! Now!' said Leo to Paige. 'Hurry!'

'Is this a wedding glitch or…?' started Paige.

'It's or!' said Leo. 'Hurry! I will get Phoebe!'

'Okay, but don't alert Prue to whatever is going on,' said Paige.

'Why do you think Piper has not left the kitchen? She is staying in there so as he will stay in there too. Now go!' said Leo.

Paige ran into the kitchen. Piper kept flicking her wrists at a warlock. However the warlock kept unfreezing. Paige picked up a knife and threw it at the warlock. The knife hardly scathed the warlock.

'Paige, the only way to beat him is with the Power of Three spell,' said Piper, who was obviously running out of energy as she continually tried to refreeze the warlock.

'We can hold him off until Phoebe gets here,' said Paige.

The warlock laughed. 'You cannot hold me off. I am going to kill all of you.'

Phoebe ran into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw the warlock.

'Jeremy?' said Phoebe in shock.

'I already recognised him, Pheebs,' said Piper. 'Now let's say the spell.'

Phoebe nodded.

'The Power of Three will set us free,' began Piper.

'Can we say it quieter? Prue might hear. She is already suspicious about Leo deciding to drag me out of the room to talk to me,' said Phoebe.

Piper and Paige nodded.

'The Power of Three will set us free. The Power of Three will set us free. The Power of Three will set us free,' said Piper, Phoebe, and Paige.

Jeremy burst into flames.

Phoebe sighed. 'Could you be a little quieter, Jeremy? Thanks.'

'And could you also try not to make a mess of our kitchen?' said Piper. 'Thanks.'

When Jeremy was fully vanquished, Paige said, 'How did you know you needed the Power of Three spell? In fact, how did you know the warlock's name?'

'Piper can answer both of those,' said Phoebe. 'I better get back to Prue.'

Phoebe left the kitchen.

'I dated Jeremy. Prue, Phoebe, and I became witches. Jeremy revealed that he was a warlock and tried to kill us,' said Piper. 'We vanquished him with the Power of Three spell.'

'Oh! That Jeremy! Leo told me about that incident before I met the three of you!' said Paige. 'You obviously did not vanquish him, or he would not have come back today…'

'We definitely did vanquish him,' said Piper. 'Today… It was exactly a year ago today that we vanquished Jeremy. Do demons become unvanquished after a year?'

Paige laughed. 'No, thankfully, but there must be a reason that your warlock hubby came back.'

Piper sighed. 'Are you going to refer to him as that from now on?'

Paige smiled and nodded.

The doorbell rang.

'Paige! You are supposed to be on door duty! That is probably Andy and Darryl,' said Piper.

'Sorry, I thought leaving door duty to vanquish your warlock hubby was more important,' muttered Paige as she headed for the front door.

By the time Paige got to the foyer, Leo had already opened the front door and let Andy and Darryl in.

'Hi Andy. Hi Darryl,' said Paige. 'You can go and sit around in the living room for now. Prepare yourself for everything.'

'Hi Paige,' said Andy.

'Hi,' said Darryl.

Paige smiled. As Andy walked past her, Paige said, 'So Andy are you here on business or for personal reasons to see Prue?'

Darryl was confused by the question. Paige knew it was a silly question considering everyone knew Andy was there for his wedding, but Andy understood the joke.

'Paige, are you ever going to let that go?' asked Andy, smirking.

'Let what go? The fact that you so often came here to see Prue with the excuse that you were here on official work business?' laughed Paige.

Phoebe came walking into the foyer.

'Have you seen Kit?' asked Phoebe.

'No… I don't think Kit will mind missing the wedding though,' said Paige.

'Not funny, Paige,' said Phoebe.

'Why do you want to find Kit?' asked Paige.

'I was thinking about the Book incident and my instincts started telling me to go and find Kit,' said Phoebe. 'I sound crazy, don't I?'

Paige shook her head. 'You, Prue, and Piper were the ones telling me that I should trust my instincts a couple of months ago. So I say you should trust yours too. Go and find Kit.'

Phoebe nodded. 'If Piper asks where I am, tell her a demon got me.'

'That will settle her nerves,' said Paige sarcastically.

Phoebe laughed before leaving the manor.

* * *

It was almost twelve o'clock. Prue, Piper, and Paige were in the kitchen.

'Where is Phoebe?' Piper muttered to Paige.

'She told me that if you asked that to tell you that a demon got her,' said Paige.

Piper frowned. 'Don't even joke.'

'It definitely sounds like something Phoebe would say,' said Prue.

Piper and Paige turned to Prue.

'Nervous?' asked Paige, smiling.

'Me? Of course not,' said Prue.

'Oh, I am sorry. I forgot that the almighty Prue Halliwell does not get nervous,' laughed Paige.

'Exactly,' said Prue.

Piper had been looking at the kitchen clock.

'Okay, whether Phoebe is here or not, we are not delaying this wedding,' said Piper. 'Paige and I will go out there, leaving you here. Prue, when you hear the music start, that's your cue.'

'Got it,' said Prue.

Something caught the corner of Paige's eye. She turned to the basement door. Black smoke… not smoke… a shadow was protruding from the crack beneath the door. No, not just an ordinary shadow…

Paige tapped Piper on the shoulder, making her turn to see the shadow. From Piper's expression, Paige could tell that Piper had also figured out what it was.

Piper quickly turned back to Prue. 'On second thoughts, Prue, you are the bride. You should have the honour of going out there first.'

Piper pushed Prue out of the kitchen and locked the kitchen door. Piper and Paige turned to see the shadow making its way across the kitchen.

'If Prue was not suspicious before, I think you kicking her out of the kitchen would have made her suspicious now,' said Paige.

'That's better than her knowing the truth,' said Piper.

'Do you remember the spell?' asked Paige.

'Me? The Woogyman was Phoebe's demon, not mine,' said Piper. 'Which brings me back to: Where is Phoebe?'

'Shouldn't the question be: How did the Woogyman become unvanquished?' asked Paige.

Piper and Paige were backed up against the kitchen door. They had nowhere to run. They had no memory of the vanquishing spell's exact wording, and Phoebe was not present to help them.


	3. Witch Trial(And The Walking-Talking BOS)

**A/N:** I realise that the first paragraph of this chapter is the exact same as the last paragraph in the previous chapter. I am just repeating it to set the scene. Plus it may seem like the Woogyman is approaching them very slowly – that is only because I need to get a lot of talking in before they manage to vanquish it. (P.S. I did not originally plan to update the chapter this fast, but I thought… Why not? Don't take this as a sign that all updates will be this fast. The update speed will vary between fast and not-so-fast.)

* * *

**Chapter Three: Witch Trial (And The Walking-Talking Book of Shadows)**

Piper and Paige were backed up against the kitchen door. They had nowhere to run. They had no memory of the vanquishing spell's exact wording, and Phoebe was not present to help them.

Prue was knocking on the kitchen door, yelling for them to let her back into the kitchen. However Piper and Paige were not paying attention to Prue, because their focus was on the shadow that was the Woogyman slowly creeping towards them.

'Piper, freeze it!' said Paige hurriedly.

'It does not freeze. What was the spell?' said Piper hastily.

'I don't know,' said Paige. 'Phoebe would know.'

Piper opened her mouth to reply, but then frowned as if she was listening for something, before suddenly saying, 'Does it seem quieter than a second ago?'

When Piper pointed it out, Paige suddenly noticed that Prue was no longer banging on the door to try and gain entry.

'Prue would never give up that easily,' muttered Paige.

Paige's eyes darted to the conservatory doors which were another way to access the kitchen.

'Do you think…?' began Paige.

'I do,' agreed Piper.

'Those doors are glass,' said Paige. 'Whether we lock her out or not, she will see through the doors that the Woogyman is in here.'

'Leo!' shouted Piper.

Leo orbed into the kitchen. 'Piper, I have to be discreet about orbing because Darryl is in the living room!'

Leo suddenly saw the Woogyman cornering them.

'Leo, we need you to keep Prue out of here,' said Paige.

'Prue? She is not in here. I saw her leave the kitchen and make her way to the…' Leo trailed off.

'Conservatory?' suggested Piper.

Leo orbed out of the kitchen.

'Okay, so we have keeping Prue away sorted,' said Paige.

'We should get around to vanquishing the Woogyman,' said Piper.

The Woogyman was now quite close to the two of them. Paige grabbed Piper's hand and orbed the two of them to the other side of the kitchen. The Woogyman continued towards the door.

'We don't want it leaving this room,' said Piper worriedly.

'Er, over here, Woogyman? You want us, don't you?' said Paige, hoping to grab the demonic shadow's attention.

The Woogyman stopped and began to move towards Piper and Paige. From their new position in the kitchen, Piper and Paige could see into the conservatory. Leo was standing with Prue at the opposite end of the conservatory, blocking her path. He was talking to her. Prue looked angry. Paige turned back to the Woogyman.

The kitchen door burst open to reveal Phoebe despite the fact that Piper and Paige had locked it – either Prue had worn the door down in her attempts to open it or Phoebe had broken it while kicking the door open. Phoebe came running in with Kit in her arms. She stopped when she saw the Woogyman.

'Phoebe! What is the spell?' shouted Piper.

'The spell? What spell?' asked Phoebe.

'The one to make cherry pie,' said Piper sarcastically.

'Right, the vanquishing spell,' said Phoebe, realising she had asked a silly question.

'Pheebs, we need your help,' said Paige.

Since Phoebe's entrance, the Woogyman had changed direction and started heading towards Phoebe.

'Or rather, you need your own help?' Paige corrected her previous wording.

Phoebe gulped. '_I am light. I am one too strong to fight_. Oh no. What's the next line?'

Piper clicked her fingers. 'I remember now! _Return to dark, where the shadows dwell. You cannot have this Halliwell_.'

Paige smiled. Hearing the first two thirds of the spell triggered the memory of the final part in her mind. '_Go away and leave my sight. And take with you this endless night_.'

The Woogyman dissipated into the air.

'Why do we have to revanquish demons?' moaned Paige, relaxing against the kitchen counter.

'Without the Book how we will ever find out?' said Piper anxiously.

Phoebe smiled. 'I know.'

'You do?' said Piper. Then Piper scowled at Phoebe. 'Why did you desert us?'

'I was doing research,' said Phoebe. 'I found Kit with Jenny. The triquetra symbol is on Kit's collar. The symbol of the Power of Three… Our symbol!'

'Phoebe, you are rambling,' said Piper.

'How does the Power of Three help get the Book back?' asked Paige.

'The equinox will make our power greater,' said Phoebe. 'All we have to do is use our connection to get the Book back.'

'The equinox is only today?' said Paige.

Phoebe nodded. 'We may want to try this out as soon as possible. The equinox finishes by sunrise tomorrow.'

'Except you forget about the wed –' began Piper, but then her expression changed to alarm. 'The wedding! We are running behind on schedule! Phoebe, Paige, go to your positions. I will get Prue!'

Phoebe and Paige nodded. They left the kitchen and made their way into the living room.

* * *

Andy and Darryl were standing in the living room chatting. The priest was sitting on the sofa. When Phoebe and Paige entered, Andy and Darryl approached them.

'I see Piper's insane schedule went awry,' said Andy.

'Yeah, there was a slight kitchen glitch,' said Paige.

'Piper and Leo are getting Prue ready,' said Phoebe. 'Piper told us all to get into position.'

Andy nodded.

The priest stood up and went to stand by the window. Andy stood in front of the priest. Darryl, as best man, stood to Andy's side. As two bridesmaids, Phoebe and Paige stood to one side of the room, waiting for the bride, maid of honour, and guest (poor Leo had no role) to show up.

Phoebe was still holding Kit. She gave Kit to Paige before switching on the music. Piper and Leo came walking in. Piper stood next to Phoebe and Paige. Leo stood next to Darryl – although Leo had no role in the wedding, there was really no point in having only one person in the audience, so it was best for him to act like a secondary best man by standing next to Darryl.

Prue stepped into the living room. Prue's hair was done up beautifully. In her gloved hands, Prue held an extravagant bouquet. Her dazzling white wedding dress was stunning. It was custom made. Prue had refused Piper's suggestions to wear their mother's wedding dress – Piper and Phoebe seemed to find Prue's refusal as disappointing but as a response they had expected from her. Paige had been unsure why Prue had refused, but now was not the time to ask. Paige was sure she would find out one day.

Andy took Prue's hand as they came face to face in front of the priest. The priest began to say his lines. Soon they had reached the portion of the ceremony that involved the ring exchange.

Darryl was about to hand Andy one of the rings when the priest stopped him.

'I have the perfect ring for your wife-to-be,' said the priest.

'Thanks for the offer, but I have a ring that I picked out especially for her,' said Andy.

Andy attempted to take the ring from Darryl, but the priest snatched the ring and pocketed it. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Andy, and Darryl all scowled.

'Excuse me, but this is our wedding, not yours,' said Prue to the priest.

The priest turned towards Prue. He was snarling.

'Prue, why have his ring, when you have such deep memories of mine?' growled the priest. Suddenly the priest changed appearance. He was…

'Nicholas?' said Prue in shock, trying to push her sisters behind her so as she could protect them from him.

Nicholas raised his hand, pointing his ring at Prue. Prue fell to her knees in pain.

'Prue!' shouted Andy.

Paige was also feeling the effects of the ring. By the looks of Piper and Phoebe's expressions, so were they.

Andy, Darryl, and Leo instinctively tackled Nicholas to the ground. With the ring no longer pointing at them, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were able to regain their composure and strength.

'Does anyone remember the exact wording to the 'Nicholas must die' spell?' asked Phoebe.

'Wasn't there a potion that went with it?' asked Piper.

'Let's hope that the spell will work without it,' said Paige.

'_Lavender, mimosa, holy thistle. Cleanse this evil from our midst. Scatter its cells throughout time. Let this Nick no more exist_,' yelled Prue, standing back up with the help of her sisters.

Andy, Darryl, and Leo jumped up and moved away from Nicholas as he burst into flame and disappeared.

Darryl was in shock. 'What is going on here? What was that? What are you?'

'Darryl, let's talk in another room,' said Andy.

Andy ushered Darryl into another room to try and calm him down. Leo decided to join the two men when he saw Prue staring angrily at her sisters.

Once the three men were out of the room, Prue said, 'How come the three of you did not seem that shocked to see a warlock that we had vanquished appear?'

'Is the wedding postponed for now then?' asked Phoebe.

Prue and Piper scowled at Phoebe's blunt question.

'I will take that as a yes!' said Phoebe, flashing a smile as she ran out of the living room.

'Where is she going?' asked Paige.

'Just because Phoebe avoided my question, that does not mean the two of you can too!' said Prue, eyeing Piper and Paige.

Piper sighed. 'Prue, we did not want to worry you on your wedding day.'

'Well Piper, you have nothing to fear because I am not worried, I am annoyed,' said Prue.

'Prue, the Book of Shadows was stolen by a demon this morning,' said Paige.

'We think that he is somehow using the Book to bring back demons that we have previously vanquished –' continued Piper.

'Do we?' interrupted Paige.

Piper nodded. 'The Book is stolen on the same day that three vanquished villains return… I don't think that is a coincidence.'

Prue took a deep breath before saying, '_Three_? _Three_? I guess Nicholas was the third – Oh, and I guess we should be worrying about what he did to the real priest – so, who were the first two to return?'

'Piper's warlock hubby and Phoebe's evil shadow friend,' said Paige, trying to break the tension with a little humour.

'Paige means: Jeremy and the Woogyman. We vanquished them… again,' said Piper.

'Which one were you trying to hide from me in the kitchen?' asked Prue. When she saw Piper and Paige exchange a furtive look, Prue added, 'Yeah, I can connect the dots. If you have been vanquishing demons all morning behind my back, then that must have been your reason for kicking me out of the kitchen. So spill. Which demon was that one?'

'Phoebe's evil shadow friend,' said Paige.

Prue sighed. 'So do we know who the demon that stole the Book is?'

'We will do in a minute.'

Prue, Piper, and Paige turned to face the living room door. Phoebe had just spoken as she came walking in with the spirit board.

'Pheebs, why do you have the old spirit board?' asked Piper.

Phoebe put the spirit board down on the coffee table.

'When we first became witches – one year ago today, may I add – the spirit board showed us where to find the Book,' explained Phoebe. 'The spirit board also has the triquetra on it.'

'The symbol for the Power of Three…' muttered Paige.

Phoebe nodded when she heard Paige. Phoebe put her hand on the pointer. She closed her eyes.

'Er, can two of you join me in trying to get the pointer to move?' said Phoebe when nothing happened.

'Why only two?' asked Prue.

'The spirit board is all about the Power of Three,' said Phoebe. 'A fourth may overload it.'

Prue and Piper stepped forward. They put their hands on the pointer. Paige watched from afar as the pointer began to move. S. Abraxas. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged looks. The name meant nothing to them.

Paige's jaw dropped in shock. 'That demon was Abraxas?'

'You have heard of him?' asked Prue.

'Heard of him, but never seen a picture of him, hence I did not recognise him this morning,' said Paige.

'What does he do? What is his M.O.?' asked Piper.

'He is a demon who lives in the astral plane… That explains the vortex in the wall –' began Paige, but Prue interrupted her.

'What is this about a vortex in the wall?' asked Prue.

'Never mind about that, Prue. That closed ages ago!' said Phoebe. 'Paige, continue.'

Paige nodded. 'He destroys witches by demonising their powers…'

'I keep telling you that you are a walking-talking Book of Shadows,' laughed Phoebe.

'Book of Shadows… If he demonises a witches' power, what does that have to do with the Book?' said Prue.

'Our powers come from the Book,' said Piper. 'Maybe he is undoing the spells?'

'That would explain the return of the vanquished,' said Prue.

'Hang on. Piper, where is the spell you used on Jeremy in the Book?' asked Paige.

'Er, we used the 'Power of Three will set you free' spell which is on the spirit board, not in the Book,' said Piper. 'However the first time we went up against him – the time without you – we did try to curse him first. That curse was towards the back of the book.'

'And where was the Woogyman vanquishing spell?' asked Paige.

'I wrote that one in,' said Phoebe. 'I wrote it in on a blank page that happened to be a few pages before the curse that we did on Jeremy.'

'And the 'Nicholas must die' spell?' asked Paige.

'It was closer to the front because Grams put it in there in the seventies,' said Prue.

Piper gasped. 'He is undoing the spells by reading the Book backwards!'

'The first page of the Book includes the spell that gave us our powers,' said Prue.

'Which means we have to stop him before he gets that far,' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded in agreement. 'The question is: how?'

'The Power of One,' said Phoebe, looking towards Prue.

Before Prue could ask what Phoebe was going on about, they were interrupted. Andy, Darryl, and Leo had returned to the living room. Andy approached Prue.

'So, Prue, we were almost married,' said Andy. 'Whether he was a demon –'

Phoebe interrupted Andy with 'warlock, not demon' and then gestured for him to continue.

'Whether he was a warlock or not, he still performed the majority of our ceremony for us,' continued Andy. Andy held up the ring. 'I took this from his pocket before he burst into flame.' Andy put the ring onto Prue's finger.

Prue smiled. Piper presented Prue with Andy's ring. Prue took the ring and put it onto Andy's finger.

'I believe the next line is: You may now kiss the bride,' said Phoebe gleefully.

Prue and Andy kissed.

'Phoebe, you missed out the bit about declaring them husband and wife,' whispered Paige.

'Oh, I don't think they needed that declaring to know it,' whispered Phoebe.

Prue threw her bouquet up in the air. Phoebe was about to catch it, when the bouquet magically flew into Piper's hands. Phoebe glared at Prue.

'You used telekinesis to make sure Piper caught it, didn't you?' moaned Phoebe.

'Phoebe, there are more important things to talk about,' said Prue, trying to hide a grin.

'Like your honeymoon,' said Piper, smiling, and stealing a glance at Leo. Leo was staring at the bouquet that Piper now held in her hands. He looked lost in thought.

'No, like how we are going to vanquish Abraxas,' replied Prue.

'Let me help you find this demon of yours,' said Andy unexpectedly.

'Actually Andy, we need you to help us with something else relevant to that,' said Piper. 'You see, Nicholas only became unvanquished today and I booked the priest weeks before that. Therefore I am pretty sure that there may be a priest somewhere in the neighbourhood who is hurt or… worse.'

Andy nodded. 'I will get right on it.' Andy turned to Darryl. 'Darryl, are you going to help me?'

Darryl looked from Prue to Piper to Phoebe to Paige to Leo to Andy.

'I will help… Not because I like being in on this secret, but because I know that the Halliwells and Paige are good people,' said Darryl.

'You can just say the Halliwell sisters. Paige is one of them family-wise as well as magic wise,' said Andy.

Darryl furrowed his eyebrows. 'What else do I not know about this family?'

'I am an angel of sorts,' said Leo.

'While we are at it, I am part angel as well a witch,' said Paige.

'I am just a witch,' said Phoebe.

'I am just a witch too,' said Piper.

'I am a super witch,' was Prue's addition.

Piper rolled her eyes. Phoebe laughed. Paige was amused at Prue's smugness. In response to her sisters' faces, Prue just grinned proudly of her statement.

'Right, okay,' said Darryl, trying to process everything. 'Shall we go on a search for this priest?'

Andy nodded.

'Be back later for the wedding dinner and wedding cake,' said Piper. 'That part _will_ go to plan!'

Andy kissed Prue goodbye. Andy and Darryl left.

'Shall we go demon hunting?' suggested Prue to her sisters and Leo.

'In your wedding dress?' Piper pointed out.

'I think this wedding dress is the perfect statement to show that demon that he cannot get away with ruining my wedding day,' said Prue.

'Do we know who the demon is yet?' asked Leo, who had been absent when they had identified the demon.

'Abraxas,' said Paige.

'Oh, he –' began Leo, but Phoebe interrupted him.

'We already had the lowdown on Abraxas from our walking-talking Book of Shadows,' said Phoebe. When Leo gave Phoebe a puzzled look, she added, 'Paige told us.'

* * *

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo went up to the attic to the crime scene, the place where the Book of Shadows had been stolen from. Leo inspected the wall that Phoebe told him the vortex had opened up from.

'So how do we find him, Leo?' Prue asked.

Leo knocked on the wall. He sniffed it. He even put his ear up against it.

'Leo?' said Prue.

Leo turned to face the four sisters. 'This wall has definitely been used to open a vortex, a window between two planes. Abraxas could not have taken the Book out of the manor, therefore, the Book is still in the manor, just on a different plane.'

'So how do we reopen that window?' asked Piper.

The doorbell rang. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo exchanged looks.

'I will answer the door,' said Leo, orbing downstairs.

'Do you think Andy is back already?' asked Piper.

'Andy would not ring the doorbell. He is my husband so I had to make sure he had a key to the manor,' said Prue. 'Wow.'

'What?' asked Phoebe.

'It sounded weird saying 'husband' in reference to Andy,' said Prue.

'Weird how?' asked Piper.

'Good weird,' said Prue, smiling.

Leo orbed back into the attic.

'Who was it?' asked Paige.

'Some guy called Dan?' said Leo. 'He told me to thank Phoebe for speaking to his niece and to give her this. He also told me to give this to Prue as a wedding gift.'

Leo handed Phoebe a bottle of wine and then handed Prue a second bottle of wine.

'What sort of wine is that?' Piper asked, taking Phoebe's bottle to look at it. 'Hmm… This could be a nice addition to tonight's dinner.'

'When did you get a chance to talk to Jenny in the middle of all this?' Paige asked Phoebe curiously.

'When I found her with Kit,' said Phoebe, taking the bottle of wine back from Piper. 'That is why I took so long. She needed my advice and I was not going to take my cat and run. I had to give her some advice.'

'Can we get back to the question of how to open that vortex again?' said Prue.

Phoebe smiled. 'Use our connection, our symbol. It has to work!'

Phoebe put the wine bottle down on a table. Prue did the same with hers. Then Phoebe found some chalk and drew the triquetra on the wall.

'Okay, we have to make a circle consisting of the Power of Three,' said Phoebe. 'Prue has to be one of the members of the circle as she is the one who will fight Abraxas. Who will the other two be?'

'No,' said Prue. 'If I am going to be the one attacking, it is best that you, Piper, and Paige make the connection that opens the vortex. That way I can be ready to attack.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige agreed with Prue.

'Be careful, girls,' said Leo. 'I am being called by another charge, but I will be back as soon as possible.'

'See you later,' said Paige.

Piper gave Leo a quick kiss, dropping the bouquet into his hands – for no particular reason at all, she had just happened to have not put it down yet since catching it – just as he orbed out.

Paige turned to her sisters. 'Ready?'

'Ready,' said Phoebe, taking Paige's hand.

Piper took Phoebe's other hand. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige formed a circle, with the wall acting as part of the circle's circumference. Prue stood in the middle of their circle, facing the wall.

A breeze filled the attic as the wall began to open up.


	4. Witch Trial (And The Power of One)

**A/N:** If you remember the similar moment to this first scene of this chapter from the original canon episode, then you should be able to tell that this Prue has experienced the opposite to that Prue. The Prue of this fan fiction has just married Andy, while the Prue of the canon episode was blaming herself for Andy's death. I thought I would point that huge difference out before the events of this chapter take place.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Witch Trial (And The Power of One)**

The vortex in the wall opened to reveal Abraxas. Abraxas had the Book of Shadows open in front of him. He sneered at them.

'First the Book, then you!' shouted Abraxas.

'I don't think so!' Prue yelled confidently.

Prue waved her hand. This gesture caused the Book to come flying into her open hands. Abraxas made a similar gesture. Paige could tell that Prue was struggling to keep hold of the Book as Abraxas was using his power to try and retrieve it. Therefore Paige decided to let go of the wall, causing the Power of Three connection to be broken. The vortex closed.

Prue fell to the floor with the Book clasped in her hands as the weight of Abraxas' force disappeared. Piper and Phoebe helped Prue to her feet.

'We got the Book back!' said Phoebe happily.

'Yes, but Abraxas will probably want it back,' said Prue. 'We need to stop him.'

'Now that we have the Book, we can finish reading the passage on the Power of One,' said Phoebe. 'That should be able to tell us how Prue can defeat Abraxas once and for all.'

Phoebe opened the Book and began to flip through it. She stopped when she found it.

'Rite of passage. Fight it with the Power of One, or else… a more powerful evil that awaits will destroy you,' said Phoebe with a grimace. 'That's it? That is no use.'

'It is comforting,' said Paige sarcastically.

'Fight it with the Power of One… with the Power of One,' muttered Prue.

'What are you thinking, Prue?' asked Piper.

'I think that the three of you have misinterpreted what that 'rite of passage' thing means,' said Prue. 'I think we are supposed to work together as one. Not as three or four individuals, but as one. You keep saying that this is all about our bond, don't you?'

'That actually makes more sense now,' said Phoebe.

Prue nodded, smirking. 'I am always right. What would you three do without me?'

'Well, we did manage to vanquish two demons without you,' said Paige.

'Yeah, and I am still mad that you decided not to tell me, so don't try to be witty with me, Paige,' said Prue tetchily.

'Don't blame Phoebe or Paige. It was my decision and I still stand by it,' said Piper.

Phoebe smiled. 'Aaww, this is a first. Piper trying to take charge.'

Prue smiled. 'I have never seen this side of you, Piper.'

'Piper is just cool like that,' said Paige.

Phoebe began flipping through the Book again.

'What are you looking for, Pheebs?' asked Paige.

'A spell that we can use to vanquish Abraxas, but one that we can all say together,' said Phoebe. She stopped on a page and smiled. 'Hello ancestral spell.'

'Huh?' said Prue, Piper, and Paige at the same time.

Suddenly the attic was filled with a gust of wind. The four sisters looked up to see that the vortex in the wall had reopened. Abraxas had reopened it from his side. He was holding his hand out, beckoning at the Book. Phoebe held firmly onto the Book, refusing to let go. As a result, Phoebe was being pulled towards the vortex with the Book.

'Phoebe, what's the spell?' asked Prue. 'Hurry!'

'Repeat after me: _In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' said Phoebe.

Prue, Piper, and Paige held onto Phoebe, trying to prevent her from being sucked into the vortex, while Phoebe kept a tight hold on the Book.

'_In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' chanted Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.

'Why is it not working?' shouted Piper, who was struggling to keep her grip on Phoebe. The Book, Phoebe, and now the three other sisters, were slowly being dragged towards the vortex.

'Keep chanting! It's the only way!' Phoebe shouted over the wind in the attic.

'_In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' chanted Piper and Phoebe.

All this time, Paige had been unwilling to join in with the chant. However, she suddenly noticed that Prue was not chanting this second time around. Prue was staring at Paige in silence. Prue had obviously noticed that Paige was refusing to join in.

'_In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' continued Piper and Phoebe, oblivious that neither Prue nor Paige were joining in.

Paige tried to look away from Prue, while keeping hold of Phoebe. Paige could feel herself slowly being dragged along with her sisters and the Book towards the vortex. She knew why Prue was staring at her.

'Paige,' Prue warned. Paige was surprised she was able to hear this over the noise of the wind in the attic.

'_In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' continued Piper and Phoebe.

Paige looked guiltily at Prue. Paige did not want to, but… the Power of Three did not seem to be working… Okay, so maybe that was partially because only two sisters were currently chanting the spell, but Prue looked like she was not going to rejoin the chant unless Paige did.

Taking a deep breath, Paige gave in.

'_In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power_,' chanted all four sisters.

Abraxas burst into flame. The wind stopped and the vortex closed. The force of the vortex's sudden closure caused the four sisters to hurtle into the solid wall. They fell to the floor, the Book landing on top of them.

'Ow,' said Phoebe, rubbing her head.

'Ditto,' said Prue. She stood up, brushing dirt off her wedding dress.

'Well, at least Abraxas did not get the Book back,' said Piper.

'And we vanquished him before it was too late,' added Paige.

The three younger sisters slowly got to their feet. Phoebe went and placed the Book of Shadows on its stand.

'We did it. We fought the demon together!' said Phoebe proudly.

'Hmm…' said Piper, joining Phoebe by the stand.

'What's wrong, Piper?' asked Prue, sitting on the edge of Paige's bed.

Paige decided to go and sit on the attic sofa.

'Well, there must be a reason that the Book opened up to the 'Power of One' page this morning,' said Piper. 'I think we could have worked out the thing about using our collective power to vanquish the demon without it. We all know and accept what we do. We all know the importance of it.'

'So why did it open to that page?' asked Phoebe.

Paige had been listening to all of this. She knew the answer, but did not want to admit it. Paige looked away from Piper and Phoebe. Paige looked to Prue, wondering whether she would have anything to say. That is when Paige noticed Prue staring directly at her again.

Piper and Phoebe must have also noticed Prue was staring at Paige, because Piper said, 'Prue, why are you staring at Paige?'

'I know why it opened to that page, and so does Paige,' said Prue.

Paige quickly looked down at the floor to avoid all and any eye contact with her sisters.

'Paige…' said Phoebe.

'Oh, Paige! You left because you did not want to discuss our magical connection as four sisters!' said Piper, referring to their earlier conversation.

'What? I thought Paige left to try and learn some white lighter abilities?' said Phoebe, astounded.

Paige sighed. 'I was training…'

'That was not your reason for leaving though,' said Prue.

'Paige, why don't you want to discuss it?' asked Piper, sitting down on the sofa to the left of Paige.

Prue sat down to the right of Paige. Phoebe sat on the floor in front of her sisters. Paige looked at each of her sisters. Their expressions were ones of concern, not of anger. They wanted to know because they were worried, not annoyed.

'Look. The Power of Three was prophesised. There was always supposed to be three sisters known as the Charmed Ones with great power. There was never supposed to be a fourth Charmed One. Therefore the power that we have when all four of us say a spell at once… It might be bad… It might be catastrophic,' said Paige. 'I don't want to have responsibility over such power.'

'It wasn't catastrophic a moment ago, when you joined in with the spell to vanquish Abraxas,' Prue pointed out.

Paige did not reply to this. She looked away from her sisters again.

'You never mind helping with a Power of Three spell when we are a sister down,' said Prue, breaking the silence.

'That is different,' said Paige, looking back towards her sisters again. 'The Power of Three is meant to be.'

Phoebe giggled. 'Careful with the rhyming, Paige. You might cast a spell.'

'Paige, you don't need to worry. We are all in the same boat when it comes to the four Charmed Ones thing,' said Piper. 'Unfortunately Leo cannot ask the Elders what they may know as they do not know that you are our sister.'

Paige sighed. 'That makes this four Charmed Ones power thing even more of an unknown.'

'Paige, Piper is right. We are all in this together. It is not your job to worry about that, okay?' said Prue.

'Yeah, it is Piper's job to worry,' laughed Phoebe.

'Thanks for that, Pheebs,' said Piper sarcastically.

'Anytime, Piper,' said Phoebe grinning.

'I am glad we could finally have this talk, Paige,' said Prue smiling gently.

Paige managed a smile. 'Prue, I am sorry for avoiding you.'

'It is okay,' said Prue. 'You were scared and knew that I would try to force it out of you – and I succeeded, but that's not the point.'

The phone rang. Piper left the attic to go and answer it. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige followed Piper downstairs to the foyer.

After a few minutes, Piper put the phone down.

'Leo!' shouted Piper.

'What's wrong?' asked Prue.

'Leo!' Piper shouted again.

'Should we be worried?' asked Phoebe.

'Leo!' shouted Piper.

'Piper?' said Paige.

Leo finally orbed in.

'What's going on? Are you all okay?' asked Leo worriedly.

'We are fine,' said Piper. 'Can you sense for Andy and orb to him? He will give you the details on how you can help. No questions, just go!'

Leo nodded and orbed out.

'Is Andy okay?' Prue asked Piper.

Piper nodded. 'That was Darryl on the phone. He and Andy found the priest. He is badly injured but still breathing. Andy had told Darryl to phone us and ask us to send Leo. They want to get the priest healed by Leo rather than sent to hospital. Too many questions would be asked about how he got hurt if he went to hospital.'

'Why could Andy not phone us?' asked Prue.

'Andy was busy making sure that the room was secure from any prying eyes,' said Piper.

* * *

A few hours later, the four Ps, Leo, Andy, and Darryl were sitting at a table full of delicious looking food. It was Prue and Andy's wedding meal.

'I think we should raise our glasses in honour of the new husband and wife,' said Piper.

Everyone rose their glasses.

'To my eldest sister and the little boy who used to live down the road from us!' said Piper.

'To an amazing couple that give up their free time to help protect the innocent,' said Leo.

'To the newly constituted Power of Two!' said Phoebe, referring to Prue and Andy.

'To the couple that put up with me for a year while I continued to act like their own personal Cupid,' said Paige.

'To the couple that everyone rooted for,' said Darryl.

'To my wonderful new wife. We were wedded by a warlock, yet our love still survives,' said Andy, gazing deep into Prue's eyes. 'That shows the strength of our love for one another.'

'To my handsome new husband. Magic interrupted our wedding, yet we worked around it,' said Prue, staring back into Andy's eyes. 'That shows the strength of our love for one another.'

Everyone clinked their glasses before taking a sip, except for Prue and Andy who were kissing.

* * *

The meal began. Piper's food was perfectly made and everyone loved it. Conversations started to flow as everyone ate.

'So Piper, when are you thinking about opening the club?' asked Paige.

'When the loan comes through I will start setting the place up,' said Piper. 'It could be a few weeks before the club is ready to open.'

'Do you have an idea for a name?' asked Paige.

Piper smiled. 'That is going to be a surprise.'

* * *

After the main meal was finished, Piper brought out the wedding cake. Prue and Andy made the first cut into the cake before Piper sliced the rest of it up to serve out to everyone.

While everyone was settled down and eating cake, Phoebe and Paige stood up. Piper quickly left the table, running into the kitchen. Phoebe clinked her glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention.

'Prue, Andy. It is time for you to receive your first wedding present,' said Phoebe.

'It was from Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and I,' said Paige.

Leo blushed. 'It is just from those three. They did not have to put my name on it.'

Piper returned to the dining room with a big box. She placed it on the table in front of Prue and Andy.

'Open it,' said Piper. 'It is from Phoebe, Paige, Leo, and I.'

Leo was about to comment on this again, but was silenced by a warning glare from Piper.

Prue and Andy began to open the box. Once the box was open, Prue and Andy looked inside.

'Oh wow,' said Prue. 'How did you know?'

'This is so generous,' said Andy. 'Thank you.'

* * *

**A/N:** I really could not think of what the perfect present could be, so I will just leave it to your imagination to suggest what it could have been. Short chapter, I know, but by the fourth chapter, there was not much more to add about the episode. This is why I tend to stick to three chapters if I can fit it all into just three. Feel free to moan about my completely cutting Grams out of the episode – as you may remember she was in the canon.

Yay! _Morality Bites_ is next!


	5. Morality Bites (And Follow The Sisters)

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews. In reply to your review, _Half Mad Muggle_, there will be more father/daughter moments in upcoming chapters – not this one. The previous 'episode' was a little difficult to fit much in because of that episode mainly focusing on the wedding and on the sisters.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Morality Bites (And Follow The Sisters)**

It had been a week since Prue and Andy's wedding. Despite the disruption, Prue and Andy had still managed to set off for their honeymoon the day after. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were not expecting Prue and Andy back for another week.

The week had been relatively quiet demon-wise. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had spent the week working on potion brewing. Piper was a natural at it. Phoebe was slowly learning. Paige was beginning to brew potions successfully without setting off fire alarms.

It was a Monday afternoon. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were at the kitchen counter, working on a potion. They had finished making many potions that were triggered by being thrown. However, they had now started on attempting to brew potions that had to be ingested to work. These types of potions were more difficult to make than throwing potions. Piper was very determined to succeed at making them.

'Piper, what is the point?' moaned Paige. 'Ingestion potions are more complicated to make than throwing potions. Ingestion potions also take longer to have an effect on the target than throwing potions.'

'Yes, but they are in the Book,' said Piper. 'We may as well learn to make these too.'

Phoebe was looking at the list of ingestion potions that could be brewed in the Book of Shadows.

'Oh! Can we try to make the sleeping draught potion?' asked Phoebe, enthusiasm in her tone.

'Pheebs, we can make throwing versions of those! And they work immediately! The ingestion version will take a few hours to take effect once drunk!' said Paige.

'It would still be cool to know how to make,' said Phoebe.

Piper smiled. 'That's the spirit, Pheebs! Now tell me the ingredients.'

Paige gave in and decided to help her sisters. They spent the next few hours brewing up some sleeping draught. Once it was done, Piper bottled some of the dark green liquid into a glass jar. Paige put the glass jar to one side while Phoebe started looking through the Book for another ingestion potion to attempt.

'This one sounds interesting!' said Phoebe, pointing at a page on the Book.

'What is it?' asked Paige.

'An invisibility potion,' said Phoebe. 'And this one says 'immediate effect' underneath the title.'

Piper laughed. 'So much for your 'they take hours to take effect' notion, Paige.'

'Well, the invisibility potion is an exception to the rule,' said Paige, thinking back to the last time she had drunk one of those – the time when she had gone undercover at the Spencer wedding.

'Looks like we have a little Prue over there,' said Phoebe. 'She won't admit when she is wrong.'

'Are we going to make the potion or not?' grumbled Paige.

'What are the ingredients?' asked Piper.

* * *

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige spent the next hour or so brewing up the invisibility potion. Phoebe began to bottle the freshly brewed invisibility potion – which was a similar green to the sleeping draught – when they heard the front door open and close.

'Who could that be?' asked Paige. 'Prue and Andy are not due back for another week.'

'Leo?' suggested Phoebe.

'Leo does not have keys to the manor,' said Piper. 'He orbs in whenever he feels like it.'

Piper and Paige made their way into the foyer while Phoebe remained in the kitchen, bottling the potion. Piper and Paige were surprised to see Prue standing in the foyer with a suitcase.

'Prue? You are one week early,' said Piper.

'Is everything okay with Andy, Prue?' asked Paige.

Prue sighed and attempted a smile to show her sisters that she was okay.

'What happened, Prue?' asked Piper.

'Andy had a call from his work while we were away,' said Prue. 'A court case that he needs to be present at was moved forward to this week – it is in two days time. We had to cut our honeymoon short because, as the lead officer in the case, it is vital for him to go there.'

'The court case is not for another couple of days? Then where is Andy?' asked Piper.

'He had to go straight from the airport to his office to sort out paperwork related to the case,' said Prue.

'Are you angry?' asked Paige.

'At Andy? No,' said Prue. 'I am peeved that his work got in the way of our honeymoon, but it is no different to if I had Charmed business to attend to…'

'Aaww Prue,' said Piper. Piper hugged her older sister.

'May I be the one to ask what that odour is?' asked Paige.

Prue and Piper sniffed the air.

'It smells like… like…' Prue paused to take off her shoe and look at the underside of it. Prue scowled. 'Is that guy really still letting his dog do his business on our drive?'

'Oh, I guess you walked through it on your way to the front door,' said Piper.

'Apparently so,' said Prue. 'As if my day could not get worse.'

'At least none of it transferred from your shoe to the carpet,' said Piper.

Prue carried her shoe into the kitchen. Piper and Paige followed. Prue threw her shoe in the bin.

Phoebe knocked the two glass jars onto the floor in her shock at seeing Prue enter the kitchen.

'Prue? What are you doing here?' asked Phoebe.

'Hi to you too, Pheebs,' said Prue. 'What are those jars?'

Phoebe began picking up the two glass jars; luckily neither had smashed.

'Potions,' said Phoebe. Phoebe turned to Paige and added with a grin, 'Aren't you glad we chose to make ingestion potions now? The glass for these jars is thicker. Had we made throwing potions, we would have used the thinly glassed vials and would currently have broken glass and potion all over the floor.'

'You have been making potions?' said Prue.

'Practice,' said Piper. 'With no demon attacks, we thought we could try and get ourselves trained up on potion making.'

'Cool,' said Prue.

'Prue, are you sure you are okay?' said Piper. 'You would normally have a lot more than that to say.'

Prue shrugged.

'Can someone tell me what happened?' asked a puzzled Phoebe.

'Cliff notes version: Andy had to return to San Francisco for work related reasons. Our honeymoon has been cut short,' said Prue solemnly.

'Aaww Prue,' said Phoebe, placing the two jars on the counter.

Prue sighed. 'So what potions have you made?'

'We have tons of throwing potions in the cupboard now for whenever we need them,' said Piper. 'They range from potions for specific demon vanquish potions to non-specific lower level demon vanquish potions.'

'How about the ones Phoebe has put on the counter?' asked Prue.

'These are ingestion potions,' said Phoebe. Phoebe looked at the two glass jars in front of her. 'One of these is an invisibility potion and the other is a sleeping draught. I don't know which is which.'

'Pheebs! Did you not label them?' moaned Piper.

'We started on the invisibility potion before I got around to labelling the sleeping draught,' said Phoebe. 'I knew which was which until I dropped the two of them just before.'

'So how do we know which is which?' asked Paige. 'They are both a similar green liquid.'

'We could always take a sip of one?' suggested Phoebe.

'Pheebs, if you pick the sleeping draught, you will become extremely groggy and then fall asleep for a few hours before falling asleep for many many hours,' said Paige. 'If you pick the invisibility potion, you will have to stay invisible until it wears off or until we brew up the reversal potion.'

'I will take the chance,' said Phoebe, opening one of the glass jars.

Piper stopped Phoebe.

'Wait! Pheebs, you have an interview tomorrow,' said Piper. 'You cannot take the risk. If it is the invisibility potion, we can find a reversal before your interview. However, if it turns out to be the sleeping draught, you may not wake up before your interview, so you may miss it.'

'You take the chance then,' said Phoebe, offering Piper the jar.

'I can't. I need to head off to the club tomorrow. I have plans to meet a building inspector,' said Piper.

'I will take the risk,' said Prue.

'No!' said Piper, Phoebe, and Paige at once.

'Why can't I?' asked Prue, slightly startled by their response.

'You need to speak to Andy when he comes back,' said Piper. 'That will be difficult to do while invisible or asleep.'

Prue sighed.

'Look, why don't we just throw the two batches away, rather than testing them?' suggested Piper.

'We are not wasting them! They may be useful for future demon fights. That's why,' said Prue. 'If the three of you are not going to take the risk, I will! Piper, don't make that argument again. Someone has to take the risk.'

Paige sighed. 'Prue, you cannot do it, okay? If you are adamant that someone should, then _I_ will be the one to risk it.'

Paige took the glass jar that Phoebe had picked. Paige took off the lid and took a sip of the potion. Prue took the jar from Paige and put the lid back on.

'How do you feel, Paige?' asked Piper.

'Am I invisible?' asked Paige, starting to feel slightly groggy.

'No, we can still see you,' said Phoebe.

'It's the sleepy – I mean the sleeping potion then,' said Paige, falling against the counter as tiredness built up inside her.

Phoebe quickly took the jar from Prue and labelled it. Prue and Piper helped Paige to stay on her feet.

'It should be another hour before I actually do fall asleep,' said Paige, trying to keep her eyes open.

'Well, at least that gives us a chance to get you upstairs,' said Piper.

'I can orb up there…' said Paige. After a second of preparing herself to orb, she suddenly said, 'No… No, I don't have the energy…'

'Orbing takes energy?' said Prue.

'It actually burns calories,' said Paige, suppressing a yawn.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe helped Paige up to the attic. They left her in peace. Paige soon fell asleep.

* * *

Paige heard someone enter the attic. She was still heavily under the effects of the potion. It was beginning to wear off, so she was able to wake up, but she felt like she needed to sleep more. Her sight was blurred and she did not want to get up.

'Don't worry, Paige. It's just me,' said Leo quietly. 'Go back to sleep. I just came in to get the Book.'

Leo left the attic a minute or two later with the Book of Shadows. Paige closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Paige opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched. The potion had fully worn off now. She felt wide awake. Paige looked at her watch. It had been around seven in the evening when she drank the potion. It was now two in the afternoon. That meant the effects of the sleeping draught had lasted for nineteen hours. She was sure that Piper would be happy to know how long its effects lasted for.

Paige got up and made her way downstairs. The manor appeared to be empty. Paige thought for a second that maybe: Prue had left to go and see Andy, Piper had left for her meeting with the building inspector, and Phoebe had left for her interview. However this opinion changed when Paige noticed that the television had been left on in the living room. Paige continued into the conservatory and noticed the Book of Shadows open on the table. Next to the Book of Shadows was a silver dish with a charred piece of paper in. Paige looked at the page that the Book was open to. On one page was a spell to move ahead in time. On the other page was a return spell.

Paige frowned. What had she missed? Leo would know.

'Leo!' shouted Paige.

Leo orbed into the conservatory.

'Hi Paige,' said Leo. 'Have the potion effects worn off now? Piper told me about what happened.'

'Speaking of Piper, where is she?' asked Paige, gesturing towards the Book of Shadows. 'And where are my other two sisters?'

'I don't know,' said Leo, keeping up an innocent expression.

'Leo, I may have been half asleep earlier when you came to get the Book, but I was not dreaming,' said Paige. 'You came in to get the Book for Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. You know what is going on.'

Leo sighed. 'The Elders told me to open the Book to that page for the Halliwell sisters. I am not too sure what the spell does.'

'By the looks of the spell,' said Paige, reading the Book. 'It is supposed to send them forward in time.' Paige frowned. 'Apparently, the spell is meant to disappear from the Book after one use. Why is it still here if they have already used it?'

'Paige, I really do not know the answer to that one,' said Leo. 'I was only asked by the Elders to locate that spell for them. I don't know why the Elders wanted me to and I don't know why your sisters suddenly decided they needed that spell.'

Paige nodded. She believed him.

'Well, I can find out,' said Paige.

'What?' said Leo, confused.

Paige found a piece of paper and a box of matches. She wrote down 'whatever date they went to' on the piece of paper and burnt it with a lit match.

'Paige, what are you doing?' asked Leo, shocked at what he was observing. 'You cannot follow them!'

'Yes I can,' said Paige. 'That 'one use' spell is still there for some reason. I may as well take advantage of that. I have to help my sisters – whatever it was that caused them to need to use it.'

'Paige, it could be dangerous!' shouted Leo.

'I have to,' said Paige. '_Hear these words, hear the rhyme. I send to you this burning sign. Then my future self I'll find, in another place and time_.'

Paige dropped the burning piece of paper into the silver dish and then smiled at Leo as she disappeared.

* * *

Paige opened her eyes. Her head was lying on a desk. She slowly moved her head upwards. She was sitting in a cubicle within an office. There was a futuristic looking computer in front of her. The desk that she was sat at was piled with paperwork. There were also two framed photos on the desk. One was a photograph of a man and a woman that she did not recognise. The other was a photograph of Paige standing with an attractive man – he had his arm around her.

'Where am I?' muttered Paige. 'Where are my sisters?'

Paige stood up from her desk. The office was humming with loads of people who were running around with files or sitting at similar desks on the phone or filling out paperwork.

'Fall asleep on the job again, Paige?' laughed a woman that Paige had never seen before.

'Er, I guess,' said Paige.

'How is Henry doing?' asked the woman.

Henry? Who was Henry? Where and when was Paige?

'Er, I know this might seem like a strange question, but I cannot remember today's date. What is it?' said Paige.

'The twenty sixth of February,' said the woman.

'What year?' asked Paige.

The woman looked at Paige strangely. 'It's 2009, Paige. Are you okay?'

'2009?' said Paige. Ten years. 'Do you know where I can find my si – the Halliwells?' Paige asked this with the hope that the woman had heard of them.

'The Halliwells? Well, you can find one of them live on television later today,' said the woman.

'I can?' Paige was confused. Had her sisters gone forward in time just for one of them to be on television?

'Yes. Remember the witch trials?' prompted the woman.

Paige's jaw dropped. 'I have to go!'

'Wait, Paige! You cannot just leave work!' shouted the woman as Paige made her way towards the door.

'Work? I work here?' said Paige, stopping and turning back to the woman.

'You have worked here for the last ten years, Paige,' said the woman. 'I remember you first walking into this office at the age of twenty two.'

Twenty two? Paige was only twenty two now. Unless… The spell… She had taken over her future self's life. She was thirty two.

'Oh… of course,' said Paige, trying not to sound too crazy. 'It is all coming back to me. You know how strange I can be after a midday nap. I really better head home though!'

Paige ran out of the office. When the coast was clear, she orbed to Halliwell manor, in the hope that her sisters would be there.

Paige had orbed straight into the foyer. She could hear the television on in the living room. Paige wandered into the living room. Piper was facing the television, so did not see Paige enter. Piper's hair was the same except for the fact that she had it curled.

Paige was about to say something, but the reporter on the television stole her focus.

'The execution of Phoebe Halliwell takes place in eight hours,' said the reporter. 'I will be with you every second of this unfolding event.'

'Oh my gosh, Pheebs!' gasped Paige.

'Prue?' said Piper, turning around.

When Piper realised that Paige was not Prue, her expression became one of shock and then anger.

'Who are you and how did you get in?' said Piper, flicking her hands at Paige. 'Why are you not freezing?'

'I orbed in, Piper,' said Paige, perplexed by Piper's reaction.

'They sent us _another_ white lighter? They need to stop doing that! Tell your bosses that we won't listen to them. We don't care about personal gain. We are going to save Phoebe whether they like it or not. I thought they had gotten that message when I told my ex husband the exact same thing!' shouted Piper, still flicking her hands at Paige. 'If you are a white lighter, why aren't you freezing?'

'Woah! Piper, I am on your side! I want to help save Phoebe,' said Paige. 'I am not freezing because I am half witch half white lighter…'

'So you were not sent by the Elders?' asked Piper, finally giving up with her attempts to freeze Paige.

Paige shook her head. Paige suddenly remembered something very obvious.

'Hang on, Piper. You are my sister, you know all this stuff about me,' said Paige. 'I may be ten years older, but so are you. How can you not recognise me?'

Piper scowled at Paige. 'How _dare_ you! How dare _you_! My sister is on death row and you decide to come in here and pretend to be a sister I never knew about! _How dare you_!'

Paige was puzzled – and slightly terrified by her sister's spite. 'Piper? What is going on here? You, Prue, and Phoebe travelled forward in time to this date. I followed. I was put in my future body, so I assumed you would be too.'

Piper's angry expression did not change. 'What are you talking about? None of that makes any sense.'

'Maybe you are your future self – I mean the present 2009 Piper and not the 1999 Piper… That still makes no sense. If you know me in 1999, how can your 2009 self not know me?' muttered Paige.

'Whoever you are, get out or I will blow you up! My freezing powers may not work on you because you are part witch, but my explosion power definitely will!' shouted Piper.

'You have the power to blow things up?' said Paige, taking a small step backwards.

'_Get out!_' shrieked Piper.

'I can help you save Phoebe!' said Paige, backing towards the front door while Piper followed her.

'Not after all the crap you have been saying!' shouted Piper.

Before Paige could open the door, someone knocked on it. Paige moved out of the way so as Piper could open it. A woman with long blonde hair walked in.

'You took your time,' said Piper. 'Melinda is at school and will be dropped at Leo's later. We don't have long to waste, Prue.'

Paige stared at the blonde haired woman in shock. Paige had not really been paying attention to the woman before hearing her name mentioned. Prue had dyed her hair blonde.

'Piper, I was running late at work,' said Prue.

'Prue, you are _always_ running late at work,' said Piper. 'The sad thing is that I think we have been closer over the last six months than we have been for years.'

'Should we go over our plan before executing it?' said Prue. 'Sorry, bad choice of words.'

Prue looked away from Piper and suddenly noticed Paige standing further into the foyer.

'Who is that?' Prue asked Piper.

'You don't recognise me either?' said Paige. 'What is going on?'

'That is a delusional half witch half white lighter who thinks she is our sister _and_ wants to help save Phoebe. She needs to orb off now,' said Piper irritably.

'I am not delusional,' said Paige. 'I am your sister. Phoebe is my sister too. I don't want this to happen to her.'

Prue sighed. 'Piper, she may be delusional, but she wants to save Phoebe. She can do something that we cannot… Something that Leo refused to do for us.'

Piper looked from Prue to Paige and back to Prue.

'You mean..?' said Piper, her unpleasant expression being replaced with a pondering one.

Prue nodded. 'Orb.'

Prue and Piper turned to Paige.

'What's your name?' Prue asked Paige.

Paige was so used to saying Paige Matthews, but she did not want to use that name here. She wanted to say Paige Halliwell, but that could push Prue and Piper over the edge, considering they did not seem very open to the possibility that they could have another sister. Therefore, Paige decided to settle on…

'Paige Wyatt.'

Paige smiled. If she could tell the future versions of her sisters, then she knew she would one day be able to tell the present versions of her sisters. First she had to save their future before going back to the present to tell them.

Prue and Piper exchanged shocked looks.

Piper uttered the word, 'Wyatt?'

* * *

**A/N:** A little explanation is needed here. The Prue, Piper, and Phoebe that Paige will speak to in this future are all the 2009 versions and not the 1999 versions that have travelled forward in time. There will be an explanation for that at the end of the episode when Paige gets back to 1999. Oh and there will be an explanation of why they don't know who Paige is. Your guesses are welcome.


	6. Morality Bites (AndPoorDelusionalPaige)

**A/N:** Wow. Fifty five reviews from five chapters. That's a lot. Thanks for all the reviews so far. As to the twist, I could not exactly let the plot for this episode be simple. That would be too boring. I enjoyed reading your theories for why they don't know Paige and why the 1999 Charmed Ones are nowhere to be seen, unfortunately the answer won't be in this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Morality Bites (And Poor Delusional Paige)**

Piper stared at Paige. 'Wyatt? Wyatt as in the last name of my ex husband? That Wyatt?'

'Your ex husband is Leo?' asked Paige. Then Paige winced a little. 'Oh, that is more awkward than when you guys were dating.'

'She says she is half witch half white lighter…' said Prue. 'As a full white lighter, Leo cannot possibly have any white lighter siblings… How long has he been a white lighter?'

'Approximately seventy years now, and she is in her thirties…' said Piper, quickly calculating in her head. 'You don't think Leo…'

'Leo could have been in love with another witch three decades before he met you,' said Prue.

'Oh! No! No! No! My mum is Patty Halliwell!' said Paige, trying to explain herself.

Piper went pale. 'Oh my… this is just… Leo and our mu –'

Paige suddenly realised what Piper had concluded. 'No! No! No! That is not what I meant! I meant that my mother is Patty Halliwell and my father was her white lighter Sam Wilder! They gave me up for adoption and Leo adopted me!'

Paige took a deep breath after her explanation was over. This was good practice for telling the 1999 versions the truth about Leo. She did not want to mess anything up when telling them. Paige studied Prue and Piper's expressions. They were expressions of shock and confusion.

'Do you have any proof of this?' said Prue. 'You could just be delusional –'

'Earlier our reporter interviewed Nathaniel Pratt. If you missed it earlier, here it is again.'

Prue, Piper, and Paige forgot about their conversation. The television had caught their attention.

'Phoebe,' muttered Prue.

Piper nodded. 'Delusional or not… this white lighter can help save her.'

'What is your plan?' asked Paige.

'Our previous plan is of no concern, because we now have a white lighter on our side,' said Prue. 'Orb to Hobart State Penitentiary and bring Phoebe back with you.'

Paige nodded. 'Okay.'

Paige closed her eyes and tried sensing for Phoebe. Paige opened her eyes. She now stood in a bleak cell. Phoebe was staring at her. She had a collar around her neck and wore prison clothes. Her hair was long and she did not look quite like her usual self.

'Phoebe!' said Paige. 'What did you do to get found out and locked up?'

Phoebe grimaced. 'You came here to get me to talk about my sins? I guess that is all that white lighters are useful for these days.'

Paige sighed. 'You don't know who I am either?'

'Just because my sisters and I know Leo personally, that does not mean we know every single white lighter by name,' said Phoebe irritably.

Phoebe and Paige suddenly heard footsteps coming their way.

'You better orb out. I know how the Elders don't want their precious white lighters exposed along with witches,' grumbled Phoebe.

Paige frowned. She grabbed Phoebe's arm and orbed them back to the manor. On landing in the foyer, Phoebe dropped to the floor in shock. Prue and Piper rushed towards Phoebe and helped her to her feet.

'You actually orbed me out of there?' said Phoebe in shock.

'Yes!' said Paige. 'That is why I went there!'

'Are you okay, Pheebs?' asked Piper.

'I am now,' said Phoebe. 'What are we going to do now? Pratt is going to come straight here as soon as he realises I am missing!'

'Well, this is where our original plan comes into play,' said Prue. 'There is a spell in the Book to create money. We can use that to get out of the country. There is also a spell to erase a memory. We can use that on Pratt before we go.'

Phoebe grinned, happy with the plan. 'Great! So where's the Book?'

Piper frowned. 'Prue left it at Bucklands.'

'I could not exactly take it out of Bucklands, could I? There are witch hunters everywhere. I think a big book of spells indicates that I am a witch,' said Prue.

'Then why did we not plan to meet at Bucklands?' moaned Piper.

'It was your decision to meet at the manor because you did not know when Melinda would be picked up!' shouted Prue.

'Woah! Sisters! I definitely did not miss sibling arguments while I was in jail!' shouted Phoebe.

Prue and Piper stared at Phoebe.

'Sorry, Pheebs,' said Piper.

'Sorry,' said Prue.

'That is okay,' said Phoebe. 'Seeing as we have been sent a white lighter that actually wants to help, we may as well see if she will orb us straight to your office.'

'Er, you do know I am in the room, right?' said Paige.

'Sorry,' said Phoebe. 'I am not used to having this many people to talk to at once.'

'Right,' said Paige. 'Oh, regarding that… Why are you in this situation? What did you do?'

Phoebe grimaced. 'How can you know that I was in trouble without knowing why?'

Paige did not feel like it was worth explaining that she had come from the past considering it would waste time and they would probably not believe her, so she just sighed and said, 'You know me… Delusional…'

Phoebe shook her head. 'If you don't know then I won't change that. You might regret saving me if I tell you.'

'No. I want to know,' said Paige firmly.

'Tough,' said Phoebe. 'Now orb us, white lighter.'

'I have a name,' said Paige grouchily.

Phoebe smiled mockingly. 'Who cares?'

'I do?' said Paige quietly.

Paige took Prue's hand. Piper took Prue's other hand. Phoebe took Piper's other hand. Paige closed her eyes and orbed them to Bucklands.

* * *

Prue got the safe key out of her pocket. Paige observed Prue's office. It was the same as it looked in 1999. However on Prue's desk sat a name plate that said 'Prue Halliwell, CEO'.

'Wow, Prue. You are the head of Bucklands now? You have done well for yourself,' said Paige, nodding in admiration.

'Thanks,' said Prue.

Prue began unlocking her wall safe. Piper and Phoebe turned to Paige.

'You can go back to the Elders now,' said Phoebe.

'I have already told Prue and Piper that I don't work with the Elders,' mumbled Paige, narrowing her eyes in frustration.

'That's who white lighters work for,' Phoebe pointed out. 'You _are_ a white lighter.'

'A white lighter that has decided to use my ex husband's last name,' added Piper grouchily.

'Here it is,' said Prue, putting the Book down on her desk.

'So can we cast the memory erase spell on Pratt from here?' asked Phoebe.

'Pheebs, the spell only works on close contact with the intended target. We have to find Pratt,' said Prue.

'After that is done, we can leave San Francisco for good,' said Piper.

'So are you three really going to ditch town?' asked Paige.

'We have to. After we erase Pratt's memory, people will start asking questions. We don't want to be here in case it leads back to us,' said Piper.

'You three never give in this easily,' said Paige.

'I was about to be burnt at the stake in a modern day witch trial,' said Phoebe. 'This is our only choice.'

'That reminds me,' said Paige. 'How did you get into that situation?'

'You don't want to know, so stop asking!' shouted Phoebe.

'I do,' Paige argued determinedly.

There was suddenly a ringing sound in the office. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe stared at Paige.

'What? Isn't that your work phone?' asked Paige.

'The ringing noise is coming from your pocket,' said Piper.

'It is?' said Paige. Paige pulled a phone out of her pocket. 'So it is. Is this mine?'

'Since when did white lighters carry phones?' said Prue. 'They can hear their charges' calls anyway.'

'I used to wish that Leo would carry a phone,' said Piper, sighing.

Taking no notice of the fact that Prue and Piper continually refused to believe that Paige was part witch, Paige answered her futuristic phone. 'Hello?'

'Hi honey,' said a male voice.

'Honey? I think you have the wrong number or I have the wrong phone…' muttered Paige.

Paige heard Phoebe whisper to Prue and Piper: 'I think she is delusional. The phone _was_ in her pocket. How can she not know who the phone belongs to? White lighters don't steal. They especially don't steal and then forget that they stole the phone.'

'I did not steal the phone!' Paige shouted.

The man on the other end of the line obviously thought she was talking to him, because he said, 'I know you did not, Paige. Are you okay? I rang your number. This is definitely your phone…'

'Who is this?' Paige gulped.

'It's me. Henry,' said Henry.

'Henry?' said Paige. Then she thought, 'Is this my future self's boyfriend? Husband?'

'Are you okay, Paige?' There was concern in his tone.

'Yeah! I am fine! I was kidding, Henry!' improvised Paige, trying to sound like she was joking around.

'Okay. Did you forget that we had planned to meet up for lunch today?' asked Henry.

'We did? I mean, of course we did. I am so sorry. I am overrunning at work,' said Paige, remembering the place where she had woken up.

'South Bay Social Services would not function without you, Paige,' said Henry. 'We'll go somewhere special tonight to make up for lunch.'

'Okay, bye,' said Paige.

'Love you,' said Henry.

'Er… Love you too?' said Paige, hoping that the questioning tone was not audible in her voice.

Paige put her phone back into her pocket.

'Work is overrunning?' said Prue, who had overheard Paige's side of the conversation.

'It was an excuse because I don't know what he knows about magic,' said Paige.

'How can you not know?' asked Piper. 'If he does not know about magic, then he does not know you are a white lighter, so what does he think your work is?'

'Well I actually have a job as a social worker,' said Paige, making the assumption that she was one considering Henry had said she worked at South Bay Social Services.

'A white lighter with an actual job that is not just a ploy? I really think you are delusional,' said Phoebe. Phoebe turned back to Prue and Piper. 'Can we get back to our plan now?'

Prue and Piper nodded.

'The delusional white lighter keeps making us digress,' said Phoebe resentfully.

'Do any of you actually remember that I told you my name?' said Paige. 'Why are you so bitter?'

'Have you not seen the world we live in? There are witch hunters everywhere and Phoebe nearly got killed! Not to forget, they are probably looking for Phoebe now!' shouted Piper.

'Anyway, your name is…' said Prue, but she stopped.

'It began with P, didn't it?' said Piper. 'I only remember that because of the crap you told us about being our sister.'

'She said _what_?' Phoebe shrieked. There was a definite tone of disbelief in her voice.

'Exactly,' said Piper. 'Don't worry. We know she is delusional.'

Paige sighed. This was getting nowhere. There was no reasoning with them. She orbed out into the middle of the street.

'Oops, what was I thinking?' laughed Paige, considering she had just ran the risk of exposing herself as a magical individual in her attempt to storm out of Bucklands. Luckily the street was empty. Paige wandered over to a tree where she noticed something. There was a huge poster telling people to alert the witch hunters about witches. Paige shivered. What was wrong with this future?

Paige heard the familiar sound of someone orbing in. She turned around to see Leo. Paige smiled.

'Dad!' Paige shouted running over to Leo and hugging him.

Leo orbed out of her hug onto the other side of the street. He stood staring at her, annoyed yet puzzled.

Slowly Paige approached Leo. All the time, thoughts were going through her head, comparing this future Leo to the bitter future Leo in the future that Tempus had ruled. Just like that Leo, this one seemed untrusting, except he did not seem bitter at all.

'Why did you call me that? Why did you hug me?' asked Leo.

Paige frowned. 'You don't know me either? This makes no sense at all. I have known you all my life.'

Leo looked extra puzzled. He made no response.

'Look! You obviously orbed here to speak to me, so you must know me!' shouted Paige.

'I orbed here because I sensed a white lighter orbing in public!' said Leo. 'You were lucky this street was empty.'

'What does orbing into an empty street matter?' asked Paige.

'White lighters are under strict orders not to orb,' stated Leo.

'You orbed here,' Paige pointed out.

'I am the exception to the rule, because I am the Charmed Ones' white lighter,' said Leo.

Paige raised an eyebrow. 'And that makes you my boss because..?'

Leo shook his head. 'Just don't use your powers in public.'

'Which ones? My spell casting abilities or my white lighter abilities?' asked Paige.

'None! Wait… Did you say spell casting? You are a white lighter _and_ a witch?' said Leo, staring at Paige incredulously.

'Half and half,' said Paige, smiling. 'Dad, how do you not know me? How is this possible?'

'Dad? Stop calling me that. I have a daughter, but she's…' Leo paused. His eyes opened wide and in shock, as he said, 'Are you Melinda from the future?'

Paige was puzzled. 'No… My name is Paige and I am from the past. Melinda? Oh, Piper mentioned a Melinda!'

'Piper would have mentioned her, because Melinda is our daughter,' said Leo. 'Did you say you are from the past?'

'Yes. Please tell me that you believe me! Prue, Piper, and Phoebe did not believe me! They think I am a delusional white lighter,' said Paige.

'Wait. Wait. Wait. Did you say you spoke to my charges?' asked Leo. 'Why did you speak to my charges?'

'I know them… And in the time I come from they know me. So do you,' said Paige.

'Well, if you are really from our past then shouldn't we know you too?' asked Leo.

'Exactly! That is why I am so baffled by this predicament!' said Paige.

Something suddenly clicked in Leo's head because he suddenly said, 'Did you say you spoke to Phoebe too?'

'Of course I did,' said Paige. 'I was not going to let her be burnt at the stake.'

Leo looked livid. 'Did you orb her out of the jail?'

Paige nodded. 'Why wouldn't I?'

'Paige! These witch trials will never stop now! Plus they will be going after Prue and Piper as well now!' said Leo. 'They will probably believe Prue and Piper used magic – despite being cleared of the accusation months ago – to help Phoebe escape!'

'So? Prue, Piper, and Phoebe have a plan to… run. That is unlike the Prue, Piper, and Phoebe that I know, but at least they are together. Plus Phoebe is not going to be burnt alive,' said Paige.

'Paige, how about all the other witches out there as well as the falsely accused? Pratt will keep going after them too now! How are they going to survive this?' Leo quizzed Paige.

Paige gulped. She had not thought about them. She doubted her sisters had thought about anyone but their own safety either.

'Exactly,' said Leo, noticing the guilt in Paige's expression. 'I don't know who you are or where you are from, but you need to help me put Phoebe back in jail. If she burns, the witch trials will stop.'

'No,' said Paige faintly.

Paige sat down on the kerb and Leo sat on the kerb next to her.

'I am sorry,' said Leo. 'She has to pay for her crime.'

Paige looked at Leo. 'What was her crime?'

Leo sighed. 'She… She murdered a man.'

'I must be delusional, because I think I misheard you,' said Paige.

'Unfortunately you heard me right,' said Leo. 'Phoebe murdered a man.'

'She must have been tricked or possessed or manipulated,' said Paige. 'Phoebe only has premonitions. What did she do? Premonition him to death?'

'Phoebe was not possessed. She did it of her own free will,' said Leo. 'Only premonitions? When are you supposed to be from?'

'Her own free will? No way!' said Paige. '1999.'

'Yes, her own free will,' said Leo glumly. 'Her powers have grown and developed over the past ten years.'

'Phoebe would never do something like that of her own free will!' said Paige.

'She would and she did,' said Leo regretfully. 'The man she murdered was set free after being accused of abusing a dear friend of Phoebe's. Phoebe wanted him to be punished…'

'So she murdered him?' said Paige in shock.

Leo nodded. 'Pratt caught her in the act and ever since has been on a vengeful path to bring back witch trials. The Elders hope that it will end with Phoebe.'

'This cannot be right. The Phoebe I know would never do this,' said Paige.

'This makes no sense. How can you say you know the Charmed Ones – and me – yet us not know you?' said Leo, repeating his earlier query.

'I don't know why you don't know me,' said Paige. 'Ask the Elders! It was their spell choice that sent me here!'

'Was it meant to send you here?' asked Leo inquisitively.

Paige looked guilty. 'Well, no… You told me that the spell was meant for my sisters and they had already cast the spell. I wanted to follow them, so I did, by reciting the spell against your wishes.'

'Well, there's your problem. It is possible that we don't know you, because you were never supposed to be here,' said Leo.

'It still does not make sense! If this is the future, you should all know me! Besides I was put into my future self's body. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe should be in their future selves' bodies too, but they are not!' said Paige.

Leo suddenly made a connection over what Paige had said previously. 'Your sisters said the same spell as you? The Prue, Piper, and Phoebe you know should be here? The Charmed Ones are your sisters?'

Paige nodded.

'How is that possible?' said Leo. 'There cannot be four people for the Power of Three?'

'Please don't get into that,' said Paige, rubbing her forehead which was beginning to throb from the frustration of explaining everything over and over and over and over again.

'Yeah, but how do the Elders not know about you?' asked Leo. Then Leo went pale. 'You called me dad? Who is your mother?'

Paige blushed. 'Patty is my mum. Sam Wilder is my dad. You adopted me when I was a baby.'

Leo nodded. 'We don't have time to waste on more questions. We need to find Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.'

'They won't let us take Phoebe back without a fight,' said Paige.

'I know,' said Leo.

'I don't feel right doing this,' said Paige. 'Actually I don't know if I want to do this.'

'Paige, you have to,' said Leo. 'The choice is to either save Phoebe or save every other accused and falsely accused witch in San Francisco.'

'Save Phoebe?' said Paige.

'Paige, if I did raise you, I am sure I would have taught you better than this,' said Leo.

Paige sighed. 'You are telling me to choose strangers over family. Why don't we let Phoebe stay safe and come up with a plan to stop Pratt? Why don't the Cleaners help?'

'Years ago, the Charmed Ones told the Cleaners not to get involved in their situations. The Charmed Ones said that they could sort out any sticky situations themselves,' said Leo. 'Therefore the Cleaners are refusing to help.'

'Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are not going to help the innocents though! They are just going to run! What's changed them over the years?' asked Paige.

Leo shrugged. 'Life? Prue grew up with only work to look forward to. She is the head of Bucklands, but she has no husband or boyfriend of her own. Piper… Well, we have a daughter, but our marriage was never going to work and now we are on bad terms with one another, especially after I refused to help Phoebe. And Phoebe. Her longest relationship lasted two and a half years, but it was never stable because her boyfriend – who she soon married – was evil… a demon. After Prue, Piper, and Phoebe finally vanquished him, Phoebe never got over it.'

Paige sighed. 'They still have each other.'

'Can you say that?' said Leo. 'Prue hides away at work. The only reason she has spoken to Piper over the last few months is to help Phoebe. Piper focuses on looking after Melinda and her club. Piper had pretty much given up on magic and wanted to bind her own as well as Melinda's powers. However Piper postponed this idea when she found out about Phoebe's predicament. Piper needed her powers to help Prue save Phoebe. And Phoebe. Phoebe had not spoken to Prue or Piper for ages. She was hooked on using magic, with no care for personal gain.'

Paige shook her head. 'They are back together now. Surely they will use this to bond again and remember their roles as Charmed Ones? The times they spent saving innocents? Surely they will want to come back and help save innocents again.'

'Paige, I am going after them to take Phoebe back to jail. You can come with to try and convince them to listen to your suggestion, but I doubt they will see eye to eye with you.'

'I doubt they will see eye to eye with you either,' said Paige.

Leo stood up. Paige stood up too.

'Take my hand?' said Leo. 'Or will you follow my orb trail?'

Paige took Leo's hand. Like old times, Leo orbed.

* * *

**A/N:** I included another Chris reference in that chapter! Let me know if you noticed it. I have got to stop making Chris references whenever the Charmed Ones time travel. And this is random, but has anyone else noticed that on the Charmed characters list, Drake is not on it? I mean, there are some characters on that list that were only in _one_ episode. Drake was in _three_ episodes _and_ he dated a Charmed One. I don't particularly want to write a fan fiction with him in, I just was surprised not to see him on the list.


	7. Morality Bites (And Things Change)

**A/N:** Apparently, today is Super Fast Update Day, because not only am I updating this extremely fast, but I am publishing two new Charmed fan fictions. Check those two out after you have read this one. Okay, so I take the 'protect the innocent, not punish the guilty' line directly from the episode. I think the line explains their Charmed role quite well.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Morality Bites (And Things Change)**

Leo and Paige appeared outside the prison. They were on a sheltered side of the prison that was not visible from the road.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were standing a little further down. Piper was drawing something on the wall with chalk.

'What are they doing?' Leo whispered to Paige.

'I think they are breaking into jail so as they can find Pratt and erase his memory,' replied Paige.

Leo and Paige ran over to the three Halliwells.

'Look! The delusional girl is back!' said Phoebe mockingly. 'And she brought your ex hubby with!'

Prue glared at Paige. Piper glared at Leo.

'Freeze them, Piper,' Prue ordered.

'I can freeze Leo, but _she_ won't freeze,' said Piper.

'Piper, you can't do this,' said Leo, stepping forward. 'Nor can you, Prue, or you, Phoebe.'

'Why not, Leo?' said Piper, crossing her arms obstinately.

'It's not what you do, that's why,' said Paige, stepping forward to stand next to Leo. 'The three of you make up the Power of Three. You are the Charmed Ones. You protect the innocent, not punish the guilty.'

Phoebe rolled her eyes. 'You cannot say that! If that is our job, then why was I sentenced to death?'

'You got out, didn't you?' said Paige. 'Now that you got out, use that chance to put everything right. Not just for yourselves, but for everyone else too.'

Phoebe looked away from Paige, unwilling to listen any longer. Paige turned to Prue and Piper.

'Prue, Piper. You two have seen the news over the last few months. I haven't, but I am sure that they keep mentioning all those people who have been accused of being witches,' said Paige. 'If you don't do something, those people will die. The Charmed Ones I know would never let that happen.'

'The Charmed Ones _you_ know? The Charmed Ones you _know_? I thought we already discussed the fact that _you_ don't know _us_,' said Piper.

'Even Leo accepts the possibility that I am your sister,' said Paige, crossing her arms, not realising that she was currently copying Piper's body language.

Piper looked at Leo, then back to Paige. 'Well, Leo is an idiot.'

'The Piper I know would never mean that seriously,' said Paige. 'I am sure you still love him. You are hiding it under bitterness.'

Piper began to move her arms slowly. 'I may not be able to freeze you, but I may be able to b –'

Prue jumped in front of Piper. 'Piper! Don't use your other power on her! She may be annoying and delusional, but what she said about all those innocents is right! We cannot deny that.'

'Really, Prue? Are you really siding with her? Who are you to say we should be caring about the innocents? Didn't you just fire loads of employees at Bucklands without a care in the world?' said Piper.

'Employees are not the same as innocents, Piper,' said Prue. 'You know that.'

Phoebe stepped forward, rejoining Prue and Piper.

'Prue, are you suggesting we ditch the run away plan?' asked Phoebe.

'I think so,' said Prue, turning to face Paige and Leo.

Paige smiled. 'I will help you.'

'I will too,' said Leo. 'However, if everything is not sorted by morning, Phoebe will have to go back to jail.'

'In other words, we have to save San Francisco within a time limit?' said Prue.

Leo nodded.

'Great!' said Piper sarcastically.

'Can't we just go back to our original plan?' suggested Phoebe. 'There is no 'burn' option in that one. The only option is 'run away to safety'. I like that one.'

Prue sighed. 'Phoebe, we have to do this.'

'It is better for us to protect the innocent, instead of punishing the guilty,' said Piper, sighing in defeat.

'Pratt is guilty though! We need to get revenge on him!' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe, we can do that by helping the innocents,' said Piper. 'He won't like that.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'No! I don't need your help! I am going after Pratt!'

Phoebe began to levitate into the air.

Paige stared at Phoebe in awe. 'You can levitate now?'

'Phoebe, don't!' shouted Prue.

'Shush! We don't want to alert people that we are round here!' said Piper.

'Phoebe, get down,' said Leo.

'The Pheebs I know would not do this!' shouted Paige. 'She would never desert her sisters!'

'I am not the same Phoebe that you knew!' shouted Phoebe.

Leo dissolved into blue and white orbs. The orbs flew into the air and grabbed Phoebe, making her disappear. The blue and white orbs reappeared on the ground by Prue, Piper, and Paige's feet, revealing Leo pinning Phoebe to the ground.

'Get off me or I will kill you!' shouted Phoebe, pressing her hands against the sides of Leo's head.

Leo smiled. 'Good thing I am already dead.'

Leo stood up, allowing Phoebe to stand up too.

'I am going, and you cannot stop me,' grumbled Phoebe.

Phoebe tried to levitate into the air, but nothing happened. She scowled at Leo.

'Give me my powers back!' shouted Phoebe.

Leo shook his head. 'No. Your sisters need you. The innocents need you.'

Piper smiled at Leo. 'Thank you, Leo. I am sorry about saying that you were useless.'

Leo smiled back. 'That is okay.'

'Pheebs, you aren't going anywhere, unless you want to try running away from us. Though considering we are outside the prison, you will probably get recognised quite easily,' said Prue. 'I think that makes your only viable option: Help your sisters.'

Phoebe crossed her arms sulkily.

Paige was staring at Leo. 'How did you do that? How did you take away Phoebe's powers?'

'I did not take away her powers. I only numbed them – She will slowly regain the ability to use her powers over the next few hours,' said Leo.

'Since when did you have that power?' asked Paige, gobsmacked.

Leo smiled. 'Prue, Piper, and Phoebe's powers are not the only ones that have developed over the past ten years.'

'I am so forcing you to learn that power when I get back so as you can teach me it…' Paige paused, sussing something. 'Oh my gosh! I don't know how or whether I will ever get back!'

'You will,' said Leo reassuringly. 'Let's focus on helping the – your sisters first.'

Paige nodded, looking up at Prue, Piper, and Phoebe who were staring at her.

'Do you _really_ believe this sister thing, Leo?' asked Piper, needing more confirmation than just Paige's word.

Leo nodded.

'And you believe that wherever she is from, she is your adopted daughter?' added Prue.

Leo nodded.

'And you believe that we can save all these innocents by standing around and talking about ourselves?' said Phoebe tetchily.

'I hate to say that I agree with the grump over there, but we should really concentrate on getting a plan worked out,' said Paige.

'Both of you are right,' said Piper.

'We need the Book,' said Phoebe.

'And we need to find out where the accuseds are hiding out,' said Prue.

'I know where they are hiding,' said Leo. 'I have been helping send them there and keeping them safe.'

'Okay, so we will get the Book and then go there,' said Piper.

Phoebe let out an unconvinced laugh. 'What's the point?'

'I have a feeling that Pheebs should be kept away from the Book,' said Prue. 'She still has spell casting abilities.'

Phoebe swore at Prue for pointing out that Phoebe could not be trusted near the Book.

'Okay, then we split up,' said Piper. 'Leo, Phoebe, and I will go to the hide out. Hopefully seeing the innocents will help to filter through to Phoebe's innocent saving side that is hidden away inside her.'

Phoebe let out a callous laugh.

'Are me and…' Prue faltered and turned to Paige. 'Sorry, I cannot remember your name.'

'Paige,' said Leo, before Paige had a chance to say it herself.

'Paige, that's it,' said Prue. 'Are Paige and I going to Bucklands to get the Book in your plan, Piper?'

Piper nodded. 'Paige can orb you there. After that, the two of you can orb to us.'

'One problem: I don't know where the hideout is,' said Paige.

'Do you know how to use your sensing abilities?' Leo asked Paige.

Paige smiled. 'I got those down before I knew I was a white lighter.'

Piper looked perplexed. 'How did you not know you were a white lighter? Oh, never mind. Probably best not to ask.'

'Yep. Best not,' said Paige.

'Sense for Piper, Phoebe, or me and you will know where to orb to,' said Leo.

Paige nodded.

Piper hugged Leo tight. Obviously, this reunion was causing their break up resentment to melt away. Leo held onto Piper with one arm, and held Phoebe's shoulder with his free hand. Phoebe was standing as far away as possible from Piper and Leo as the three of them orbed.

Paige turned to Prue. 'Ready to go?'

'Ready,' said Prue.

Paige orbed herself and Prue back to Bucklands. Once there, Prue began to unlock the safe again. While she was doing that, Paige decided to find out some things about her future eldest sister.

'So how's Andy?' asked Paige.

Prue had picked up the Book of Shadows, but at Paige's words, Prue dropped the Book onto the floor in shock. This caused the floor to tremble a little from the force and weight of the Book.

'Andy?' said Prue faintly.

Suddenly Paige remembered something about Leo saying that Prue had no one special in her life.

'Oh no. Did you and Andy get a divorce?' asked Paige, truly saddened by the possibility that their marriage did not work out.

'What are you going on about?' asked Prue, picking the Book up from the floor. 'Andy died ten years ago.'

'No. You married him ten years ago,' said Paige. 'Unless… Don't tell me he dies soon after your marriage.'

'No. What?' said Prue. 'I never married Andy. He died when Piper, Phoebe, and I were stuck in a time loop.'

'Huh? You mean the thing with Tempus?' said Paige.

'Yes, that,' said Prue.

'Andy didn't die…' Paige paused. 'Wait… Andy was about to be hit by an energy ball, but I orbed him out of there…'

'No, you were never there,' said Prue.

Paige shook her head and decided it was best to change the subject. 'We should go and meet up with the others.'

Paige sensed for Leo. After locking onto a location, Paige orbed herself and Prue there. The hideout was full of people. Many of them looked unhappy or depressed and as if they had been run out of their every day lives.

Prue and Paige approached Piper and Leo who were walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand, further down the tunnel.

'Hey. Where did Pheebs go?' Prue asked Piper, when Prue and Paige finally caught up with the ex-couple (or could it be the ex ex-couple?).

'Leo and I wanted some time alone to talk,' said Piper.

'You were supposed to be keeping your eye on her!' moaned Prue.

'Yeah, but Pheebs can look after herself,' said Piper.

'She wanted to explore the place a little as well,' said Leo, shrugging.

'Did it never occur to you that Phoebe might be trying to escape?' asked Paige.

'Or the fact that every innocent down here will recognise her as the person that started the witch trials by getting caught and therefore not exactly like to see her down here, considering she is the reason they are in hiding?' added Prue.

'On the plus side, Leo and I have had the chance to work things out,' said Piper positively.

'Wonderful,' said Prue sarcastically. 'Now let's go find Phoebe before she gets attacked by an angry mob or escapes.'

Piper, Paige, and Leo nodded. The four of them wandered the tunnel looking for Phoebe. Paige was stunned by the amount of people hiding out in the tunnel – the vast majority of these people had been falsely accused and their lives ruined. Pratt had to be stopped, whether this was Paige's future or not, she could not let these people down.

* * *

Eventually the four of them came to a halt in a dingy area of the tunnel. It was quiet and there were no innocents around. There was a small opening in the ceiling above them. A long haired, brunette was attempting to reach it. She would float a centre metre or two into the air before falling back to the ground. However she did not stop trying. She kept repeating this action.

'Phoebe, you won't get your full levitation power back for another hour or so,' said Leo.

Phoebe turned around to see Prue, Piper, Paige, and Leo staring at her.

Phoebe smiled gingerly. 'Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?'

'I am being called,' Leo said quite suddenly and quietly to Prue, Piper, and Paige. 'Continue without me and I will be back as soon as possible.'

Leo orbed out. Prue, Piper, and Paige approached Phoebe. Prue opened the Book of Shadows.

'Do you really think one spell will put everything right?' said Phoebe in a spiteful tone.

'Do you really think murdering Pratt would put everything right?' said Prue in the same tone.

'So what's the plan then?' asked Piper, trying to break the tension.

'Do you remember a spell –' Prue began, but Phoebe interrupted her.

'Do we remember a spell? It's not like we haven't done thousands of those,' said Phoebe, rolling her eyes. 'Be more specific.'

'I wasn't finished,' Prue snapped. She resumed, 'Do you remember a spell that we used when Nicholas attacked?'

Piper looked puzzled. 'The 'Nicholas Must Die' spell?'

'No! The one we cast that sent us back to when Phoebe wasn't born,' said Prue.

Phoebe glared at Prue. 'I see how you focused on the fact that I was not there, rather than anything else.'

'No problem,' said Prue.

Before Prue could continue, Paige said, 'You are on about the spell 'to unbind a bond', right?'

Prue looked at Paige. 'How do you know?'

'I went back to the seventies with you three,' said Paige.

'No you didn't,' said Prue, Piper, and Phoebe at once.

'This future makes no sense,' said Paige, shaking her head.

'No, you are the one who makes no sense,' said Phoebe.

Paige ignored Phoebe and continued, 'So what do you think using the 'to unbind a bond' spell will do to help us in the here and now, Prue?'

'Stop Phoebe from making her mistake,' said Prue.

'To stop me from getting caught by Pratt?' said Phoebe.

'No, Pheebs! She means to stop you from murdering Greene!' said Piper.

Phoebe looked at Piper in disbelief. 'Why? He deserved it!'

'Have you learnt nothing from all of this?' shouted Piper.

'If you don't like what I have become there seems to be a conveniently timed new sister to replace me with!' shouted Phoebe, pointing at Paige.

'Don't shout at Piper!' Prue shouted at Phoebe.

'Don't yell at me!' shouted Phoebe.

'Quiet!' shrieked Paige. Tears were running down her eyes. 'What happened to the three of you?'

Prue's angry glare dissipated. Piper's distressed expression vanished. Phoebe's spiteful appearance was replaced with one of shock – there even seemed to be a sudden hint of guilt on her face.

Phoebe swallowed her dignity. 'Say the spell, Prue. I need to be stopped. If I am stopped, these innocents will be freed, and maybe our bond as sisters will be fixed.'

'We were not really acting like sisters before all of this happened though, were we?' Piper pointed out solemnly.

'It's my fault,' said Prue.

'Don't blame yourselves,' said Paige. 'You can fix this straight after you save those innocents.'

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe nodded.

'You read the spell, Paige,' said Prue, handing Paige the Book.

'Why me?' said Paige, taking the Book.

'If I remember the spell correctly, it will take the reader and those close by to the desired place. You are the only one that Phoebe would not recognise. It would be too much to explain if Piper or I showed up. You might be able to stop her.'

'Okay…' said Paige reluctantly.

Phoebe frowned. 'I apologise in advance – or would it be in retrospect?'

'For what?' asked Paige.

'Expect me to react to you the way that I have been acting ever since I met you today,' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded. 'No sweat.'

'We will leave you to say the spell alone,' said Piper. 'We cannot chance getting dragged back with it. Good luck.'

'Thanks,' said Paige.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walked away. When they had turned the corner of the tunnel, vanishing from Paige's sight, Paige decided to recite the spell.

'_The bond which was not to be done. Give us the power to see it undone. And turn back time to whence it was begun_,' said Paige.

Paige was no longer standing in the tunnel. She was standing in a well lit room. She was stood on some steps that led down into a corridor. At the end of the corridor was a door with a sign over it that stated that a locker room was through the doors.

The corridor was empty… except it wasn't. Paige heard a noise. She ran down the steps and turned around the corner. Phoebe was hiding underneath the staircase, waiting for someone.

When Phoebe spotted Paige, Phoebe tried to act nonchalantly. Phoebe stood there innocently, pretending she was waiting for someone, and tried to avoid any eye contact with Paige.

'Phoebe,' said Paige.

Phoebe looked shocked that Paige knew her name. 'Do I know you?'

Remembering Phoebe's earlier reactions to meeting the white lighter side of her, Paige decided not to tell Phoebe who she was.

'No,' said Paige, looking around the corridor. Pratt had to be watching them from somewhere, but where? 'I just came to warn you not to do what you came here to do. Yes, I know your motive and I want to stop you. Not only because it is wrong, but also because someone will expose you for what you are.'

'Are you threatening to expose me?' said Phoebe, gritting her teeth and staring at Paige menacingly.

Paige panicked. 'What, me? No! I was not on about myself! I was on about someone else!'

Suddenly a door clanged open and shut. A man wearing a baseball hat walked past them. Phoebe scowled at Paige after he had passed.

'You made me miss the opportunity!' Phoebe shouted.

'Good,' said Paige smirking.

'He's practically evil!' shouted Phoebe.

'No. He deserves to be jailed, but he does not deserve to die,' said Paige. 'Or at the very least, it was never your job to do that.'

'Yes, it is my job! As a Char –' Phoebe was interrupted by Paige telling her to shush. 'Don't tell me to –' Once again, Paige interrupted her, telling her to quieten down.

'Let's talk in the privacy of the locker room,' said Paige, wanting to check if it was actually empty.

Paige opened the locker room door. A man – who had been standing on the opposite side of the door, blatantly staring out through the door's window – jumped back from the door.

'Hi,' said Paige.

'Excuse me,' said the man, clearing his throat, leaving the room.

'Any idea who that was?' Paige said to Phoebe.

Phoebe shrugged. 'He looks like the guy who is running for a seat in the local government.'

'Pratt,' thought Paige.

'How did you know that man was there?' asked Phoebe.

'You can guess, but you would never believe me,' said Paige. 'The point is that he would have seen you murder that man and you would have been the first to burn in the witch trials.'

Phoebe shook her head in disbelief. 'Modern day witch trials? That sounds a bit far fetched, don't you think?'

Paige nodded. 'Maybe, but it would have happened. Maybe now you should reconsider your lifestyle choices. Maybe start talking to your sisters again? Pester Prue to get a life outside of work? Pester Piper into getting back with Leo?'

Phoebe smiled. 'Thank you, whoever you are.'

Paige smiled back.

Suddenly, the scene around Paige dissipated and she was standing in the attic. Paige was puzzled. She was back in the present – in her present. She knew this because her badly made bed was in the attic.

'How did I get back to the present if I never said a spell to get back here?' thought Paige.

Then Paige noticed that the Book was still in the attic. Wasn't that downstairs earlier? Paige had said the spell from the Book down in the conservatory. Had it all been a dream?

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, obviously it was not a dream. The final part of this episode will be in the next chapter, where everything will be explained. I have to add that out of all the characters in this 'episode', my favourite person to write was future Phoebe.


	8. Morality Bites (Plus The Consequences)

**A/N:** Unfortunately this is a sitting-down-in-one-place-talking chapter for explanation purposes. Therefore it won't be the best chapter, but it is necessary to get answers to why things happened over the last three chapters. As I said before, I love reading your theories on what's been going on, which kind of makes me regret having to reveal the answer.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Morality Bites (Plus The Consequences)**

Slowly Paige went downstairs. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were all in the front room. They had their backs to Paige as they were staring out of the window. Paige ran over to them and pulled the three of them into a hug.

'Paige, why are you hugging us?' asked Prue, slightly startled.

'Nice to see you awake, Paige,' said Piper, smiling.

'I guess you had a good sleep?' said Phoebe, laughing.

Paige released her sisters. 'It is good to be back here with you three! _My_ sisters!'

'Sorry, did you say it was good for _you_ to be back? I thought we were the ones who had been away?' said Phoebe.

'You did go away,' said Paige. 'So did I.'

'What do you mean?' asked Prue.

'I came downstairs and said the same spell as you,' said Paige. 'It sent me to a future where Phoebe was…'

'Being burnt at the stake?' guessed Phoebe.

'Yes… How can you know that? Your future selves were there, but you three weren't,' said Paige. 'I kind of started to assume the spell sent you three to a different place.'

'Er, no, Paige,' said Piper. 'We were in our future selves' bodies.'

'I can definitely vouch for that,' said Phoebe, fanning herself from the memory of it all.

'Not where I went, you weren't,' said Paige.

'Maybe the spell was more like a video,' suggested Prue. 'Videos have reruns. The spell sent you to the same episode, but a different copy of it.'

'Is that really going to be your analogy of the day, Prue?' asked Phoebe, raising an eyebrow.

'If it works, it works,' said Prue, shrugging.

'So you are suggesting that we all saw the same events, but worked them differently?' said Paige.

Prue nodded.

'Why did you say the spell in the first place?' Paige asked.

'I had a premonition of being burnt at the stake,' said Phoebe.

'We wanted to find out why,' said Piper.

Paige nodded. 'Fair enough.'

Prue and Piper started to discuss their futures – the positives and the negatives. Phoebe was gobsmacked at what she had missed out on because she had been in the jail cell the whole time.

Paige laughed. 'In the future I went to I helped you escape from jail.'

'Aaww man,' said Phoebe. 'Why couldn't I go to the same future that you went to?'

The doorbell rang. Piper went to answer it as she knew it would be Leo. After a few minutes of talking, Piper and Leo came into the front room, hand in hand.

'So Leo,' said Phoebe irritably as the five of them sat down on the sofa and armchairs. 'Your bosses thought that me being burnt alive would be funny?'

Leo blushed shamefully. 'Phoebe, they were only teaching you a lesson. It worked, didn't it?'

Phoebe sighed, unsure what to say.

'Leo, can I ask you something?' said Paige, breaking the silence that Phoebe's lack of response had created.

Leo made a face. 'Is this about your solo trip into the future?'

'What else would it be?' asked Paige matter-of-factly.

'Fair point. Continue,' said Leo.

'In that future: These three and you had never met me, and Andy died in our battle against Tempus,' said Paige. 'Why?'

'Well, you know how Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were being taught a lesson about protecting the innocent, not punishing the guilty?' began Leo.

'Yes… Was I being taught some sort of lesson too?' said Paige.

Leo nodded.

'This makes no sense. You did not want me to say the spell,' said Paige.

'Reverse psychology, Paige,' said Leo. 'The Elders decided that you had a lesson of your own to learn. All I had to do was make sure that you did not say the spell at the same time as Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.'

'How did you manage that?' asked Phoebe nosily.

Leo flushed red again. 'Er, you see…'

'The sleeping potion was the only reason I was not down here when Prue, Piper, and Phoebe said the spell. Did you have something to do with that?' asked Paige.

'Of course not! That was sheer luck,' said Leo.

'Luck?' Paige grimaced. 'Did you go to see a leprechaun?'

'Er… I may have borrowed some gold from a leprechaun,' said Leo guiltily.

'Leprechauns?' said Prue, Piper, and Phoebe at once.

'Yeah, leprechauns exist,' said Paige. She turned back to Leo. 'So what lesson was I supposed to learn?'

Leo sighed. 'Did you notice the changes that your presence in their lives has caused?'

'If my presence stops Phoebe from becoming a psycho killer – no offense, Pheebs – I don't see any problem,' said Paige.

'No. That psycho killer Phoebe at a witch trial thing was the Elders being lazy by using the same template as they used for Prue, Piper, and Phoebe's future lesson,' said Leo.

'So you mean I am meant to focus on the fact that without me, Andy would be dead and that I should not be here?' said Paige. 'Hang on, does that mean that the Elders know I am their sister?'

'They don't know. The Angels of Destiny do though,' said Leo.

'The Angels of what now?' said Piper.

'I think we really need to catch up on our magical creature terminology,' said Prue.

'Are you suggesting research? I don't personally feel up to any research this afternoon,' said Phoebe.

'The Angels of Destiny?' said Paige, partially ignoring her sisters. 'You have spoken to them?'

Leo shook his head. 'The Elders have though. The Elders told me that an Angel of Destiny contacted them recently to tell them about the changes you have made to what should have been – obviously the Angel of Destiny did not disclose the fact that you are a Charmed One to them. Therefore the Elders decided to teach you a lesson.'

'To what should have been?' echoed Paige.

'Surely what is happening now is what is meant to be,' said Piper.

Leo sighed. 'It is hard to explain how time and destiny work, but sometimes something that happens may not necessarily have been planned to happen.'

'Do you even try to make sense these days, Leo?' asked Phoebe.

'I am only trying to explain things through for Paige,' said Leo.

Paige frowned. 'What are the Angels of Destiny trying to suggest? I should not exist?'

'No. They never meant that,' said Leo.

'What did they mean by this lesson? Am I supposed to disappear from my sisters' lives?' said Paige, annoyed.

'Of course not,' said Leo. 'The lesson was an attempt to prepare you for what is about to come.'

'What is coming?' asked Paige.

'Phoebe's premonition all those months ago about Andy dying was right. Andy was never supposed to live past that time loop,' said Leo.

'What has my premonition from over a month ago got to do with anything?' said Phoebe. 'We stopped that from happening!'

Leo sighed. 'Paige was never supposed to save Andy. He was destined to die.'

Prue scowled. 'Andy survived! I like it that way, Leo! He survived, so destiny has to create a new path – one with him alive!'

Leo sighed again. 'Prue… I am sorry.'

'What do you mean by that?' said Prue. 'If these Angels of Destiny are going to go after Andy to try to correct things, they will have a Charmed One to answer to!'

'Make that two Charmed Ones,' agreed Piper.

'Make that three,' added Phoebe in support.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe turned to Paige, expecting her to say 'Make that four'. However, Paige shook her head.

'The Angels of Destiny don't go after people,' said Paige. 'They are neutral. They know what should be and what is about to happen and have powers beyond our Charmed One powers…'

'Paige is right,' said Leo. 'It is Death that is after Andy.'

Paige's eyes widened in shock. 'How are we supposed to stop Death?'

'Andy will not die,' said Prue. 'We won't allow – Hang on, did you personify death?'

'Prue, Piper, Phoebe: There is an Angel of Death. He is also neutral, but he has a list,' explained Paige.

'Andy's name was on that list the day that Phoebe had her premonition of his death,' continued Leo. 'Paige was never supposed to be there to save Andy. Therefore Death is still after Andy.'

Prue stood up and marched out of the front room. Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo followed her into the foyer.

'Prue, where are you going?' Piper asked as Prue put her coat on and opened the front door.

'To the police station,' said Prue.

'Prue, I doubt the police will go after Death if you tell them he is after your husband,' said Phoebe as a joke.

Prue did not take it as a joke. 'Phoebe, I am going there to check on Andy! He is not safe!'

'Prue, you won't be able to see Death,' said Leo. 'Only those who are about to die can see him.'

'I don't care,' said Prue. 'I need to keep Andy safe.'

Prue slammed the door shut behind her. Phoebe began to go up the stairs.

'Pheebs, where are you going?' asked Piper.

'Leprechauns, Angels of Destiny, and an Angel of Death,' said Phoebe. 'I am hitting the Book.'

'I thought you were too tired for research,' said Piper.

'That was until we found out that one of the three were after Andy,' said Phoebe.

Piper nodded.

'One of the three,' Paige echoed. 'Oh how I wish it were the leprechauns that were after him and not Death.'

'Are you two going to check the Book with me?' asked Phoebe.

'Naturally,' said Piper.

'Go without me. I need to talk to Leo in private about one of his charges quickly,' lied Paige.

'Okay, but you may be able to add information that the Book won't tell us,' said Piper.

Paige nodded. 'I will be up in a few minutes.'

Piper and Phoebe nodded before disappearing up the stairs.

When Piper and Phoebe were out of earshot, Leo turned to Paige and said, 'When are your sisters going to realise that apart from them and Daisy, you don't know any of my charges?'

'Shush,' said Paige. 'I had to say something in order to get a chance to speak with you privately.'

Leo shrugged. 'So what could you not say in front of them?'

Paige walked into the living room and sat down. Leo sat down next to her.

'I told future Prue, Piper, and Phoebe that I was your adopted daughter,' said Paige.

Leo smiled. 'You managed to tell them the truth so easily?'

Paige nodded. 'Except for the fact that they did not believe me. Future Leo believed me eventually, and then he managed to convince them.'

Leo nodded. 'What made you decide to tell them?'

'I don't know. They did not believe I was their sister, so I needed to show I had some sort of connection,' said Paige, shrugging. 'Maybe I felt the time was right for them to know.'

'Does this mean you are ready for present Prue, Piper, and Phoebe to know?' asked Leo.

'I never said I wasn't ready,' said Paige. 'All I ever said was that the time was not right.'

'Can we tell them now?' asked Leo.

'Let's see how this keeping Death away from Andy thing pans out first,' said Paige.

Leo sighed. 'Paige, you know that Andy has to die, right? He cannot escape Death's list.'

'Don't say that, Dad,' said Paige. 'Prue won't let it happen. I am with Piper and Phoebe in supporting Prue.'

'Paige, you know that your powers combined will not be enough to stop Death,' said Leo.

'You don't know that! We will find a way!' shouted Paige.

Before Leo could respond, Paige orbed out. She orbed into the attic. Piper and Phoebe were sat on the attic sofa, looking through the Book.

'Did you find an entry about the Angel of Death?' asked Paige.

'Not yet,' said Piper. '_Someone_ decided that they just had to look up leprechauns first.'

'I was curious!' said Phoebe, blushing.

Piper took the Book from Phoebe and began flicking through the pages.

'So Paige, was there anything about your future that you liked?' asked Phoebe.

'Does it matter? That was a fake future,' said Paige.

'I hope it was not totally fake,' said Piper. 'I want to have my daughter one day. Granted, I don't want to be divorced from Leo, but I can make that right.'

'And I want the powers I had in that faked future one day,' continued Phoebe. 'Granted, I don't want to be in jail for murder, or about to be burnt at a stake, or to have exposed magic.'

Paige nodded and thought about the brief previews she had gotten of her faked future.

'Was there anything you had in your faked future that you know you could make possible?' asked Phoebe.

'It depends if he was real or not,' said Paige.

'Ohh, who's the lucky guy?' asked Phoebe, grinning.

'I don't know whether he was my boyfriend or my husband or whether he actually exists, but his name was Henry,' said Paige.

'What's his last name?' asked Piper. 'You could always look him up in the directory.'

'I don't know,' said Paige guiltily. 'How can I not know that? I was supposed to be his girlfriend or wife and I don't even know his surname!'

'Don't feel bad, Paige. I was supposed to have a daughter, yet I did not know her name until future Leo told me,' said Piper.

Paige smiled faintly as her response to Piper's guilt.

'Well, on the bright side, at least we know we will survive Y2K,' said Phoebe, leaning back on the sofa a little.

Piper frowned. 'Yes, but the question is: Will Andy?'

'Found anything on Death yet?' asked Paige.

Piper handed Paige the Book. It was open to a page on Death. There was a whole entry on Death – consisting of different entries added at different times by different Warren witches. They could tell this by the change in handwriting over the course of the entry.

At the very bottom of the page, there was a relatively new addition to the entry. It was two sentences long and the writer had signed it. The newest addition said this:

_The Power of Three will have no effect on Death; he is beyond that. The combined power of the four Charmed Ones will not help you, so take my advice and let destiny take its course – Leo._

'When did he get the chance to add this?' asked Phoebe.

'He probably wrote this while the four of us were in our respective futures,' said Piper.

'He knew what our reactions were going to be before he even told us,' said Paige.

Piper sighed. 'I don't like going against Leo, but we cannot just sit back and let Andy die.'

'We fought destiny once by saving Andy,' said Phoebe. 'We can do it again.'

* * *

**A/N:** Is anyone else starting to think about _A Witch In Time_ or even _Vaya Con Leos_? This Andy-Death thing is going to run as a back story to quite a few episodes. In other words, it won't be sorted straight away. I hope to make the solution surprising, but I don't even know what the solution is going to be yet – it could go either way.


	9. ThePaintedWorld (AndTelekineticDialling)

**Chapter Nine: The Painted World (And Telekinetic Dialling)**

The week went by fast. Unfortunately for Paige, one of the evenings that week did not go by fast enough. It felt like it lasted an eternity – an eternity of uneasiness.

Prue came in from grocery shopping and wandered into the kitchen where Paige happened to be sitting, eating an apple. As Prue had returned home from her honeymoon early, she was still on paid holiday leave from Bucklands. However, as work had been the reason for their honeymoon being cut short, Andy was already back at work during the day.

'Hi Paige,' said Prue. 'Is Andy home yet?'

Paige was unable to speak due to her mouth being full, so she shook her head. At times like this, she missed the days of having telepathy – it was a great way of communicating when her mouth was full of food. However she still did not want the power back as she wanted to concentrate on her white lighter abilities.

'Okay,' said Prue.

Paige swallowed. She then asked, 'Is Andy still mad at you?'

'For the last few days, I have been acting overly protective of him,' said Prue. 'I can understand why he would be mad. In other words, yes, he is still mad at me.'

'Here's an idea: Why don't you tell him the truth?' Paige suggested.

'Don't you remember the last time I told Andy that he was going to die?' said Prue.

'Wasn't that different? You told him that he was going to die if he came to manor,' said Paige.

'What's different? He decided to come to the manor even after I warned him,' said Prue. 'The only reason he survived was because you orbed him out of there.'

'That was different because you knew the exact threat,' said Paige. 'You don't know how destiny is going to correct things. Death will be preparing to collect Andy once destiny strikes. It may help for Andy to know. Andy is the only one out of us who will be able to see Death. Andy may be able to identify Death's presence if you tell him.'

'Or we can keep him safe by not telling him,' said Prue, blatantly disregarding Paige's advice.

Prue and Paige looked towards the kitchen door when they heard the front door open and shut.

'Prue?' Andy called, his voice carrying into the kitchen from the foyer.

'In the kitchen!' shouted Prue.

Paige gulped. If this evening played out like the two evenings before, she probably wanted to leave right now.

'I should go,' said Paige.

Andy walked into the kitchen. He had obviously heard Paige's words, because he said, 'Don't leave on my account. Stay.' Andy sat down next to Prue. 'Prue, I was wondering when we were going to talk about moving out of the manor – to find a place of our own for the two of us.'

Paige gulped. She went to stand up, but Prue gave her a glare which meant 'Don't go anywhere'. Paige sat back down nervously.

'Andy, what is wrong with living in the manor?' asked Prue.

'For starters, I was hoping to live somewhere without your family,' said Andy. 'No offence, Paige.'

'None taken,' said Paige quietly.

'Secondly, you were excited about finding a place of our own when we discussed it on our honeymoon,' continued Andy.

'You mean our trip that got cut short by your work?' said Prue. 'I would not exactly call that a honeymoon.'

Andy sighed. 'Prue, you knew that I could not say no to the court case hearing. Besides, if you were that mad about that, I would have expected divorce papers, not a refusal to move in with me.'

Prue's expression softened a little. 'Don't even mention the d word, Andy. I love you. You know that.'

'Of course I do, Prue. Then why don't you want to find a place to live together, just the two of us?' said Andy.

Prue sighed. 'I… I don't know…'

Andy furrowed his brow. 'Prue, is there a demonic reason you have not told me about?'

'Not demonic,' said Prue.

'Prue, what happened?' asked Andy. 'Did Phoebe have a premonition?'

'Nope,' said Prue. 'I have been asking her to get one all week though. She has been annoyingly unsuccessful.'

'Prue, tell me what it is!' said Andy angrily. 'I can handle it! I was able to handle the news that Phoebe saw me die in a premonition! In fact, that one did not even happen!'

Prue swept her hand through the air. The phone rang.

'I'll get it!' said Prue, running out of the kitchen.

Andy turned to Paige and said, 'Do you know what this is about?'

Paige did not want to be the one to tell him, so she shoved the apple in her mouth as a reason to be unable to answer his question.

Andy sighed. He left the kitchen via the conservatory, and therefore did not pass Prue in the hallway.

Paige suddenly heard a noise come from her purse. Paige picked her purse up and noticed that her phone was in the middle of a call. With a puzzled expression on her face, Paige put her phone to her ear.

'Hello?' said Paige.

'Took you long enough to hear your phone! Is Andy out of the kitchen yet?'

'Prue?' said Paige.

'Yeah, it's me,' said Prue.

'How?' said Paige. 'You are on the landline phone. Someone rang the landline.'

'Duh, that's how phones work, Paige,' said Prue. 'Your phone rang the landline.'

'My phone was in my purse though on a very still table,' said Paige. 'I don't understand how it rang the…' Paige paused and her eyes widened as she realised something. 'Did you telekinetically have my phone dial the manor?'

'Maybe,' said Prue.

'Just to get out of having to tell Andy?' said Paige.

'Maybe,' said Prue.

'You are paying for my phone bill,' said Paige.

'I understand,' said Prue.

'Wait, why are we still talking via phone? Hang up and get back into the kitchen!' said Paige, hanging up before Prue could take her advice and put the phone down.

Prue returned to the kitchen and sat down opposite Paige.

'Since when do you shy away from an argument?' asked Paige.

'You try telling your husband that he is supposed to die and you are trying to figure out a way to stop it happening,' said Prue.

'I would, but unfortunately, I don't have a husband to test that theory out on,' said Paige ironically.

Prue frowned. 'Don't joke, Paige.'

'Sorry,' said Paige. 'I don't understand why you don't want to move out though.'

'It is best for him to stay at the manor for now,' said Prue. 'There is almost always one witch, witch lighter, or white lighter present at all times here, which means Andy is safer here than in an apartment where I might not be because I am at work.'

'What did you call me?' asked Paige, out of interest.

'A witch lighter,' said Prue. 'It gets tiresome calling you part witch part white lighter the whole time. I thought I would shorten it.'

Paige nodded. 'I like it. Oh, and I think Andy would probably be more understandable if he were in the loop about his impending doom.'

Prue sighed. 'How many times do we have to go over this?'

'I don't know. How many times do we have to go over this before you figure out I am right?' said Paige.

'Do you not know the rules by now? I am always right,' said Prue, smiling. Prue's confident manner was making a welcome reappearance.

Paige laughed. 'I can quote many times when you have been found wrong.'

'I don't remember those times,' laughed Prue.

* * *

A few days later – a week after the future incident – Prue returned to work. Her holiday leave was officially over and she was happy to return. Being absent from work had left Prue with little to do and she had been reorganising the manor, making Phoebe and Paige leaf through the Book of Shadows for possible ways to cheat Death – the individual, not the physical condition. Unsurprisingly, their research had been ineffective. It is not difficult to comprehend that Phoebe and Paige were glad that Prue was back to work as they needed a rest from continuous research.

It was the morning and Paige was having breakfast in the conservatory when Phoebe came running in.

'Paige! Guess what!' said Phoebe, grinning. She was dangling some car keys in her hand.

'You bought yourself a car at eight in the morning? Wait, that cannot be it,' said Paige. 'Er, you stole a car at eight in the morning?'

'Andy dropped Prue off at work this morning, so Prue's car is still here,' said Phoebe, too impatient to let Paige continue joking around.

'So?' said Paige.

'Don't you get it?' said Phoebe. 'Let's go for a drive.'

'In Prue's car?' said Paige. 'I don't think she would want that.'

Phoebe laughed. 'You act as if Prue does not know.'

Paige was shocked. 'Prue gave you permission to borrow her car?'

Phoebe nodded. 'I know, right? I was not expecting her to say yes when I asked to borrow it, but she did!'

'Cool,' said Paige. 'Where are you going?'

'We have not seen Piper's new club yet,' said Phoebe.

'That is because Piper is nowhere near close to opening it yet,' said Paige. 'She has not even told us her idea for a name yet.'

'So? I still want to see the building,' said Phoebe. 'Do you want to come or not?'

'We don't need a car to get there. I can orb us,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but you need some sunlight, Paige. You are going so pale from always orbing from building to building,' laughed Phoebe.

'Fine,' said Paige, defeated by Phoebe's logic.

* * *

Phoebe was driving along. Paige sat in the passenger's seat, looking out of the window.

'Phoebe, we have been driving for an hour. Do you actually know where Piper's club is?' asked Paige.

'Of course I know where it is,' said Phoebe, blushing. 'How would I not know something as simple as that? I am not an idiot.'

'Pheebs, we have passed this same road five times now,' said Paige. 'I think it is about time that you let me phone Piper for directions. Either that or you pull over and I will orb us straight there.'

Phoebe sighed in defeat. 'Fine.'

Phoebe indicated to the right and pulled into the kerb. She put the car into reverse, to get closer to the kerb. However Phoebe was not fast enough to put her foot on the break, and the car backed into a street lamp. Phoebe and Paige had not been injured, but the back of the car was noticeably damaged.

Phoebe sat still staring at the empty road ahead of them, refusing to look at the mess she had made of Prue's car.

Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Paige said, 'Now who is the pale one.'

Phoebe did not take the joke lightly.

'Prue is going to kill me,' said Phoebe faintly.

'She won't. We can fix this,' Paige reassured her older sister.

'How?' said Phoebe. 'I have no money to pay for this. Neither do you. Prue will eventually notice that her car is badly dented.'

'The car still works. We can take it to the body shop. We won't have to pay the bill for the repairs straight away. You have that interview tomorrow, right?' said Paige.

Phoebe nodded. 'Great. Just what I needed: More pressure to make sure that interview goes well.'

'Phoebe, you have job interviews almost every week now. I am sure the practice is helping – you will ace this one,' said Paige encouragingly.

'Paige, the reason I have job interviews almost every week is because I continually fail the job interviews before them!' shouted Phoebe in distress.

'Calm down, Pheebs. You will get that job and receive your first pay cheque before Prue knows there is a problem with her car,' said Paige.

'And what is your contribution to paying for the repairs?' asked Phoebe.

'My only contribution is not telling Prue about this,' said Paige.

Phoebe scowled. 'You aren't going to help pay towards it?'

'Hey, don't look at me. I was not driving and besides I did not want to use the car. I wanted to orb,' said Paige. 'If we had orbed, we would not be having this problem right now.'

Phoebe sighed. She started to drive the car forwards. As she did this, the back bumper fell off the car. Phoebe put her foot on the brake and turned off the ignition.

'I think we need to call a tow truck,' said Phoebe, resting her head on the steering wheel in despair.

'I guess I will phone them then?' said Paige.

Paige found her mobile and dialled the number for the local tow truck service.

Once the tow truck had turned up and left with Prue's car, Phoebe and Paige were left standing on the side of the street.

'Am I orbing us to Piper's club or are we just going home?' asked Paige.

'Home,' said Phoebe. 'I don't feel like exploring anymore.'

'Aaww, Pheebs, it wasn't your fault,' said Paige.

'It was my fault,' said Phoebe. 'You saw me do it. I am so stupid!'

'Okay, it may have been your fault, but you are not stupid. It is an honest mistake that anyone can make,' said Paige. For a touch of humour, Paige added, 'Are you sure you don't need glasses if you could not see that street lamp?'

'Just orb us home,' said Phoebe, ignoring Paige's insult.

Making sure that no one was around, Paige orbed the two of them back to the manor.

* * *

The following day, Paige was sat at home in the living room. Piper was also home. Prue was at work, Andy was at work, and Phoebe had left for her interview.

Piper walked into the living room.

'Hey Piper,' said Paige.

'Morning,' said Piper, preoccupied by a letter she was reading.

Piper sat down next to Paige.

'What are you reading?' Paige asked.

'Documents for the club,' said Piper. 'I cannot believe how many regulations the building is breaking. So many code violations…'

'More work has to be done on it?' said Paige.

Piper nodded. 'I don't know how I am going to afford all of this.'

'You have your loan,' Paige pointed out.

'Yeah, but money is tight,' said Piper.

'Especially for Phoebe,' added Paige quietly.

Piper nodded. 'She told me about that on the phone a few minutes ago.'

'Ah, so you know about the matter of Prue's car?'

'I do now,' said Piper. It was evident that Piper was paying more attention to her letter than to Paige, because she suddenly blurted out: '_Hallway near club entrance too narrow_? Why do they wait until now to tell me this?'

'What are you going to do?' asked Paige.

'Dan is in the construction business. He might be able to help,' said Piper.

'Oohh, neighbour Dan! Does Piper have a crush? Should I tell Leo that he is out of the picture?' asked Paige mockingly.

Piper was mature enough to ignore Paige.

* * *

The next morning went by relatively fast and monotonously. Prue and Andy were arguing over what secret Prue was keeping from him. After Andy had stormed out, Prue and Piper were discussing a painting that Prue thought was demonic, while Piper was too busy moaning about her club's many code violations. When Phoebe came in with the Book of Shadows, she attempted to help research Prue's strange painting, but was quickly diverted by Piper who quizzed her about how her interview had gone. Prue then diverted Phoebe even more by asking her whether she could have her car keys back. This is when the truth about the fate of Prue's car was found out.

Paige sat back, observing and contributing to these conversations that morning. The couple arguing, the Piper whinging, the Prue-is-always-on-a-demon-hunt tangent, the Phoebe-is-always-having-to-hide-something-but-then -is-always-found-out thing seemed to be a regular charade in the manor.

Maybe Paige was finding it so boring because she had nothing of her own going on at the moment. Prue and Andy argued, but they had each other; Piper was working on getting her club running, which was a big entrepreneurial step for her; Prue was always on the look out for demons, and she was generally right about them; and Phoebe was always on the look out for jobs, for something to do with her life, even though chaos seemed to follow her around.

What was Paige doing with her life? Sitting around the manor… That was it. Originally, she had decided not to job hunt so as she could focus on helping Leo with charges. That had come to a halt ever since she had successfully vanquished Alec. The only other charges Paige had ever helped Leo with were her sisters, and they always worked together to vanquish demons, so that did not count anymore. Paige had not started back up on training her white lighter abilities with Leo's tuition, so had been lounging around the manor recently.

Paige stood up just as Piper left the kitchen to go next door to ask Dan for help with the club code violations. Prue looked at Paige.

'Are you going to help me figure out who the man in the painting is?' Prue asked.

Paige nodded. 'As long as you promise to help me get a life.'

Prue frowned. 'What is up with my sisters today?'

'Huh?' said Paige.

'Well, Piper is ignoring magic completely at the moment; Phoebe thinks she is an idiot; and you think you have no life,' said Prue.

'Piper _always_ tries to ignore the existence of magic; Phoebe just needs some time to calm down and remember her talents; and I need to stop lazing around all day and do something,' countered Paige. Paige looked around for the Book. 'Where is the Book?'

'I think Phoebe took it with her,' said Prue. 'I need to get to work. I am hoping Andy is still around to give me a lift. Could you meet me there later? Come and see the painting for yourself?'

Paige nodded.

'Thanks,' said Prue, leaving the kitchen to find Andy.

Paige was about to follow, but the sound of someone orbing in behind her made her stop.

'Hi Dad,' said Paige, turning around. She realised her mistake only after she had turned to face the newcomer.

'Is that how you see our relationship? I must have gotten my signals mixed up last time we spoke.'

Paige's look of surprise turned into a glare. 'Get out. You are not welcome here.'

The newcomer laughed. 'I have every right to be here, because you have some questions to answer.'

The newcomer stepped towards Paige. Paige backed away. Luckily the kitchen table was a barrier between the two of them. A puff of smoke erupted and cleared to reveal the appearance of a crossbow in the newcomer's hands. Paige gulped. Those crossbows were a lot scarier looking now that she knew she was part white lighter.

'What's wrong, witch? You have never cowered when faced with a crossbow before,' said Derek, smirking.

* * *

**A/N:** I should note that Derek does not know that Paige is part white lighter yet. He still thinks she is just a witch.


	10. The Painted World (And A Nervous Wreck)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. I was glad not to get any 'Who's Derek?' reviews.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: The Painted World (And A Nervous Wreck)**

Looking from Derek to the crossbow, Paige thought through her current situation. Prue and Andy had now left for work – Paige had heard the front door close moments before; Piper was next door, talking to Dan; and Phoebe was upstairs in the manor. If Derek shot Paige, Phoebe could call for Leo in time to heal Paige.

The crossbow disappeared from Derek's hand in a puff of smoke. Derek scowled at his empty hand and shook his head, slumping down on a chair.

'This keeps happening!' he yelled.

Paige was puzzled. 'What keeps happening?'

'My powers are acting up!' replied Derek. 'I told you I came here to get some answers from you.'

'You mean you did not come here to avenge Alec's vanquish?' said Paige, standing by the kitchen door, not wanting to take a step closer to him.

'Of course not,' said Derek. 'Alec was my friend, but I would be doing him a disservice to avenge his vanquish. He was too proud.'

'Then why are you here?' asked Paige. 'What questions do you need answering?'

'You are a really bad listener, witch,' said Derek.

'Well, you are a nervous wreck, but I don't point that out… Oh look, I just did,' said Paige, smirking.

Phoebe came running into the kitchen. 'Paige, are you okay? I heard a man shouti –' Phoebe skidded to a halt when she saw Derek. 'And who's this?'

'Oh great, another witch!' groaned Derek.

'Hey buddy! I am not just a witch! This happens to be the home of the Charmed Ones!' said Phoebe.

'I know,' said Derek. 'I came to see Paige.'

'Who are you?' Phoebe quizzed him. Phoebe added quietly to Paige, 'Demon or magical goody?'

'Not a goody, but he won't hurt me,' said Paige.

Phoebe frowned. 'Are you sure? I will be upstairs if you need me.' Looking across at Derek, who was still slouching on a kitchen chair, Phoebe said, 'Just for you to think about, if I were Prue, I would have TKed you out of here by now, and if I were Piper, I would have frozen you by now.'

Derek chuckled. 'Ah, so you are the useless idiot that makes up the third sister in the Power of Three?'

'Get out if you are going to offend my sister, Derek,' said Paige crossly.

'A Charmed One is your sister? That makes you a Charmed One too,' said Derek.

'You connect the dots so quickly,' Paige said sarcastically. 'Now get out.'

Phoebe was still standing beside Paige. Her eyes were slightly wet as the idiot insult had gotten to her.

'Paige, you have not answered my questions yet,' said Derek.

Piper came walking into the kitchen. 'Hi. I am only back for five minutes. I forgot my –' She came to a halt when she saw Derek. 'What's going on? Who's this?' enquired Piper.

'Oh look, we have the Power of Three amongst the three of us now,' said Paige. 'Does anyone else feel like vanquishing Derek here?'

'You two have been standing chatting to a demon?' said Piper in shock.

'Is that any different to you standing next door chatting to Dan?' said Paige mockingly.

Piper ignored Paige's remark.

'Paige, you wouldn't dare vanquish me,' said Derek, standing up to face the three sisters.

Paige shrugged. 'How can you know what I would dare to do? I vanquished your pal, Alec, didn't I?'

'He's a dark lighter? Phoebe, you are letting Paige converse with a dark lighter?' panicked Piper, while trying to keep a strong demeanour in front of Derek.

'Piper, I found out he was a dark lighter at the same time as you!' said Phoebe.

Piper and Phoebe pushed Paige behind them. Paige saw Piper flick her hands up and Derek froze. Piper and Phoebe turned to Paige.

'What are you doing conversing with dark lighters?' Piper asked Paige.

'I was trying to tell him to leave,' said Paige. 'I would not exactly call that a conversation.'

'Paige, you should have orbed out,' said Phoebe. 'He could have shot you.'

'Relax, I don't think he knows I am part white lighter,' said Paige, staring Derek up and down. 'Besides, I don't think his powers are working properly.'

'Why would you think that?' asked Piper.

'Something he said…' mumbled Paige, staring at him.

'Should we vanquish him while he is frozen?' suggested Phoebe.

'No! Don't vanquish him,' said Paige quickly. 'Just give him a chance to leave.'

'Paige! He is a dark lighter! He could harm you or Leo or any other white lighter that he chooses to go after!' said Piper.

'He won't. Not if his powers are not working,' said Paige.

'What if they are?' asked Piper.

'I will orb him out of here,' said Paige, refusing to answer Piper's question.

Paige walked over to Derek, resisting Piper and Phoebe's attempts to keep her away from him. Paige orbed herself and Derek to the first place that popped into her head: Piper's club.

The impact of being orbed unfroze Derek. He stumbled to the floor of the dark, empty club.

'Where did you take me?' shouted Derek. 'How did we get here?'

Paige surveyed the surroundings. No lights were on, but the light coming in from the windows above allowed her to see through the dimness. There was a bar area to her right. To her left was a staircase that led upstairs. There were a couple of doors leading off of the main room which she had orbed into. Paige could see why Piper had chosen the place.

Derek got to his feet. 'Tell me, witch!'

'It doesn't matter,' said Paige, realising that he must have been frozen during the whole orbing part so he had not realised that she had orbed him there. 'Now ask me those questions. I will answer them and then you can be out of my life for good!'

Derek's right hand began to glow red in the darkness of the room. Suddenly Paige realised what he was doing. He was about to use a dark lighter ability, the Touch of Death.

'Hey! That's not a question! That looks more like a death threat to me!' Paige shouted, stepping back slightly.

'I am not trying to hurt you. I am showing you,' grumbled Derek as the red glow of his hand quickly sizzled out.

'You cannot control your powers?' Paige realised with a tone of amusement.

'Don't you mock me! Don't you dare think I am pathetic!' shouted Derek.

'You are the one who cannot control their powers,' laughed Paige.

'This is your fault entirely, witch!' Derek said, turning his back on Paige as he began to pace along the room.

'Huh?' said Paige, confused. 'What do you mean by _my_ fault?'

'The trigger for my Touch of Death power is hate; and the trigger for my crossbow materialisation power is killer instinct. Ever since the day that I first met you I have been unable to control either of those! I cannot hate and my killer instinct is completely gone!' shouted Derek.

'Maybe you are realising that just because you are a dark lighter, you don't have to be evil,' said Paige, shrugging. Paige leaned up against the counter of the bar area as she watched Derek. He had reached the wall and turned around as he began to pace back towards Paige.

Derek scowled. 'You know that is not true. You met me. You know me.'

Paige blinked. 'Do I?'

'You were trying to get on my nerves all evening. We both figured out what would get on each others' nerves quite fast. Which leads to my next question: Did you cast a spell or something to mess up my powers – except for my orbing power, that is?' asked Derek.

'Why would I do that?' asked Paige slyly. She knew she had not done anything, but it was fun to annoy Derek by not giving him direct answers.

'You despise me as much as I despise you. That's why!' shouted Derek. Derek came to a stop. He was across the room from Paige, but they were eye to eye. Derek did not look angry though. His expression was serious, but not livid.

'I did not do anything,' Paige finally responded with a straight answer. 'Maybe you don't want to kill anymore. Ever considered that?'

'I am a dark lighter. To kill is my vocation,' said Derek.

'You can always quit,' said Paige. 'It is not your life.'

'Yes it is,' said Derek.

Paige shook her head. 'You seem quite a nervous wreck right now, Derek. There is nothing I can do to help you. Nor do I want to help you. If your powers are on the fritz, as a Charmed One, I can only see that as a positive. Now you better leave my sister's club and not follow me to wherever I go. You said your orbing power is still intact, so use it. Orb out now.'

Derek did not reply. He just stared at Paige.

'Fine, I will leave before you then,' said Paige, smiling. 'I am sure that my method of exit will only freak you out more.'

Paige orbed out of the club, disappointed that she could not see Derek's reaction to her use of a white lighter ability.

* * *

Paige had orbed straight to an empty lift within Bucklands. She pressed the button with a twelve on it. Once the elevator stopped, Paige exited onto the corridor and walked into Prue's office. Paige expected to get a rant from her eldest sister about learning to knock before entering, but to her surprise, Prue was not in her office.

Paige decided to wait in the office for Prue to return. Therefore she sat down at Prue's desk. A painting perched up on a table at the side of the room caught Paige's eye. Paige stood up and went over to it. The painting was of a castle.

Paige realised she was stepping on something. She looked down. On the floor was a piece of paper, a x-ray of the painting. According to the piece of paper, there was hidden text behind the painting: _Absolvo amitto amplus brevis. Semper mea_.

Paige shrugged. She had no idea what the language was, she had never been good with languages. Paige frowned in thought. Leo was good with languages because he was a white lighter so spoke whatever language his charge spoke. Therefore why could Paige – who was part white lighter – not understand another language? She had never really had passion for other languages – apart from Italian, but she had pretty much forgotten all of that by now.

Paige sat back down and waited for a little while. When Prue did not return to her office, Paige decided to phone her. Immediately Paige heard Prue's phone go off within the room and Paige noticed that wherever Prue had gone, she had left her purse behind.

'Did a demon attack?' thought Paige. Paige closed her eyes and tried to sense for Prue. Paige opened her eyes, frowning. Her white lighter senses were telling her that Prue was present in the office.

'Prue?' said Paige, looking around the office. 'Prue, where are you?'

There was no reply.

'Leo!' shouted Paige. She would have said 'Dad' but she did not know if Prue was in the office or not. Paige could not see her anywhere.

Leo orbed in. 'Is everything alright, Paige?' Then Leo noticed where he was and realised he had never been there before. 'Is this… Prue's office? Is this Bucklands?'

Paige nodded.

'Why are you in Prue's office?' asked Leo. 'Where is Prue? Isn't she supposed to be working right now? Shouldn't she be here right now?'

'How many questions are you going to ask before I get to answer your first one?' asked Paige.

Leo took a deep breath. 'Sorry, Paige. Let's go back to my first question: Is everything okay?'

'I don't know,' said Paige.

'Is this Prue's office in Bucklands?' continued Leo, spacing out – and combining some of – his questions this time.

Paige nodded.

'Why are you in Prue's office?' asked Leo.

'Prue – hang on! She wanted me to look at this painting! How could I forget that part?' Paige ran over to the painting.

'Why did she want you to look at the painting?' asked Leo.

'She thought she saw a man in it,' said Paige. She picked up the magnifying glass off the table and had a closer look at the canvas. 'She thought there might be something demonic or generally magical about it.'

'Then this leads to my next question: Where is Prue?' asked Leo.

Paige put down the magnifying glass and turned back to Leo.

'That is my problem. I don't know where she is. Try sensing for her,' said Paige.

'Why did you need to call me to sense for her? You have the ability to do that yourself,' said Leo.

'Just do it. You'll see,' said Paige.

Leo closed his eyes. Paige turned back to the painting and tapped the canvas. She did not know whether she was expecting anything to happen, but there was something strange about the painting. However Paige had not yet seen this man that Prue had mentioned.

'She is here,' said Leo.

Paige turned around to see Leo frowning. His eyes were open and he was looking around the office.

'Now do you see why I called you?' asked Paige. 'She is not here, but apparently she is… and she left all her stuff here too.'

'Hmm…' said Leo, thinking. 'I should go up and check with the Elders. Go back to the manor. You better tell Piper and Phoebe that Prue may be missing.'

'Are you sure I should tell them?' said Paige, imagining the panic that would appear on Piper's face.

'Of course. If the Elders tell me it is something magical, then you and your sisters need to be prepared. They won't be prepared if I am the first to tell them in an hour or so,' said Leo.

Paige sighed. 'Okay.'

'See you later,' said Leo, orbing out.

Paige went over to the desk and picked up Prue's purse. Paige decided she had better take it back to the manor with her. Paige eyed the painting again. If Prue's strange disappearance had anything to do with the painting, it was probably a good idea to take the painting with her.

Paige slung Prue's purse onto her shoulder to free up her hands. She picked up the painting. It was rather heavy, but fortunately Paige did not have to walk anywhere with it. Paige closed her eyes and orbed back to the manor.

* * *

Back at the manor, no one was in. Paige put the painting down in the living room. She sensed for her sisters. Paige's white lighter sensing told her that Piper was next door at Dan's house. Paige assumed that the two of them were still discussing Piper's code violations. Paige's white lighter sensing told her that Phoebe was across town. Paige assumed that Phoebe had gone out with a friend.

Paige decided to sense for Prue again. Paige furrowed her brow. Apparently Prue was in the living room now.

'Prue?' said Paige.

Once again there was no reply. Paige looked at Prue's purse which Paige had dumped on the sofa. Then Paige looked at the painting… If Prue had seen a man in the painting, could it be possible to enter the painting? Had Prue entered the painting?

Paige sighed. 'I had better get Piper and Phoebe.'

* * *

Paige decided to find Phoebe first as Piper was only next door. Paige orbed across town to find Phoebe sitting in the library by herself. Phoebe was sat at a table with piles of books in front of her. One was open and Phoebe had her hands held out above it as the pages flicked.

Paige walked over to Phoebe and sat down opposite her, shutting the book that Phoebe had been… reading? Phoebe jumped in surprise as she had not noticed Paige sit down.

'What are you doing?' Paige asked her.

'What did it look like I was doing, Paige?' said Phoebe awkwardly. 'I was… reading.'

'I have never seen a person hover their hands over a book, turning the pages without making contact,' said Paige.

'Prue?' suggested Phoebe.

'She is a different case. She has telekinesis,' Paige pointed out. 'Besides, she does not do that in the middle of a public library.'

'No one saw,' said Phoebe.

'That is not the point,' said Paige. 'How were you doing it?'

'We don't need to discuss that right now, Paige,' said Phoebe. 'Is there a reason you came here?'

'Is there a reason you came here?' asked Paige, turning Phoebe's question back on herself. 'You don't attend college, you don't have a job… Why are you at a library reading…' Paige paused to look at the book that she had closed. 'Why are you at a library reading the encyclopaedia?'

'I am entitled to read it every now and then,' said Phoebe, obviously trying to avoid answering the question. 'So why are you here?'

Paige hesitated. 'Come back to the manor. I should tell you and Piper at the same time.'

Phoebe suddenly looked worried. 'Paige? What's wrong?'

'Let's find Piper and then I will tell you,' said Paige.

'It is something about Prue, isn't it?' asked Phoebe.

'How do you know?' said Paige.

'You never mentioned anything about finding Prue to tell her too,' said Phoebe. 'It was easy to connect the dots.'

Paige waited for Phoebe to check a few of the books out of the library. Then they went off to a quiet corner of the library where Paige orbed them back to the manor. Phoebe put the books down before wandering over to Dan's house with Paige.

Paige knocked on the front door. It was opened by Jenny.

Paige frowned. 'Shouldn't you be in school?'

'It finished over five hours ago. It is gone eight o'clock in the evening,' Jenny pointed out.

Paige blushed in embarrassment. She had not realised how late in the day it was. She must have been at Piper's club talking to Derek for a while, and then waiting around in Prue's office for a while too. The day had definitely gone by fast.

'Is Piper here?' asked Phoebe. 'We need to talk to her.'

Jenny nodded. 'She is talking to Uncle Dan. I will go and get her.'

Jenny walked away, leaving Phoebe and Paige standing on the doorstep.

'Piper has been at Dan's all day? Should we be worried?' said Paige.

'I am sure this is just work related,' said Phoebe. 'Piper loves Leo. We know that.'

'Yeah, but…' said Paige, worried.

'Paige, I have known Piper for longer than you,' said Phoebe. 'She is not the sort of person to juggle two guys. I am the only one out of us who has ever done that.'

Their discussion ended there because Piper, Dan, and Jenny had come to the door. Paige frowned. They looked like a family: Piper, Dan, and their kid. Paige tried to shake the thought out of her mind. Piper had only spent the day there to get Dan's expertise on construction; that was all, nothing more.

'Phoebe, Paige. Is everything okay?' asked Piper.

'We need you at the manor,' said Paige.

'Are you sure? Dan and I were just getting into the final details about what could help my club,' said Piper, reluctant to leave.

'Piper… It is to do with that man that Prue went to see about the painting,' Paige said, subtly trying to hint back to the conversation that Piper had been barely listening to that morning.

Piper sighed. 'I thought you were going to help Prue with seeing that man about the painting…'

'Yes, but the painting is in our living room, and I have not seen the man about the painting yet. I don't know if Prue has, but I have not seen her either,' said Paige. Paige wished that Dan and Jenny had not been standing there. It would have made the code speaking so much easier. Paige suddenly realised how difficult it must have been for her sisters to talk about magic around Paige before they knew that she knew.

Piper looked at Dan apologetically. 'I better go. Can we meet at my club tomorrow? We can discuss the final adjustments there.'

Dan smiled and nodded. 'Sure, Piper. It was nice spending the day with you.'

* * *

A few minutes later, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were in the living room. Piper and Phoebe turned to Paige, waiting for an explanation.

'Prue is missing,' stated Paige.

'Missing? What do you mean?' asked Piper.

'I went to Prue's office and she was not there,' Paige explained. 'She had left her purse there though.'

'Maybe she was in a meeting,' suggested Phoebe.

'My white lighter senses were telling me that she was in her office,' said Paige.

'We should go back there now and see what we can find,' said Piper.

'No, because now my white lighter senses are telling me that she is in the living room,' said Paige.

Piper and Phoebe looked around.

'Unless she is invisible, she is not here,' said Piper.

'Exactly,' said Paige. 'The only thing that I moved was her purse and the painting.'

Phoebe frowned. 'You think the man she saw in the painting may have been trapped there, and whatever led to his imprisonment has caused Prue to be trapped in there too?'

Piper and Paige were shocked by Phoebe's fast analysis.

'I was expecting more of a 'do you think she got shrunk down into her purse' sort of a comment from you, Pheebs,' said Piper as a joke.

'I was expecting you to be more worried, Piper,' said Paige.

Piper turned to Paige. 'Oh, don't worry. The panic is quickly escalating within me right now.' Piper began to pace back and forth in the living room. 'What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?'

'We could wait for Leo to come down with information from the Elders,' said Paige. 'I don't feel patient enough to wait though.'

'Good, because I don't either,' said Phoebe.

Piper stopped pacing and turned to her two younger sisters. 'Was there anything in the Book about this?'

Phoebe shook her head. 'I have already checked in the Book. Remember when Prue originally asked me to? There was nothing on evil artwork in there.'

'Then the Book is wrong, because we obviously have evil artwork here in our house!' snapped Piper.

'I don't think the painting is evil,' said Paige. 'Some magical being just made it as a way to trap others. The question is: How?'

'There must be some way to open the portal,' said Phoebe. 'It could be touch sensitive; it could be activated by sound; there could be a verbal command; maybe only the person who made it can open it; or maybe it can only be opened from within the painting itself…'

'Phoebe, those are only theories. What we need is to do something,' said Piper.

'I have an idea,' said Paige. 'If there is a locked portal between our world and the painted world maybe I can orb into there… Orbing between dimensions is possible, so why can't this be?'

As Paige closed her eyes to orb, she heard Phoebe shout, 'Wait, Paige! Don't!' However, it was too late: Paige was already orbing. She felt a pain on her head and then nothing.


	11. The Painted World(PlusTheRealityOfItAll)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. It is always interesting to see the speculations and theories of readers about what is going on.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: The Painted World (Plus The Reality Of It All)**

Paige's ears were ringing. Her head was in pain. She could hear the shuffling of feet. Someone was pacing around the room that she was in.

'Piper, stop it,' moaned Paige, not opening her eyes. 'Get out of the attic.'

Paige turned around to lie on her side on her bed. This action caused her to fall onto the floor.

'Since when was my bed that narrow?' thought Paige, slowly opening her eyes.

Paige realised that she was in the living room. She had been lying on the sofa, but now she was on the ground. Slowly, Paige stood up. Her ears were still ringing. Andy stood by the window, staring at Paige.

'Why did you call me Piper?' asked Andy.

'I thought you were Piper. For some reason, I have a memory of her pacing around…' said Paige. 'Why was I asleep on the sofa and why is my head ringing with pain?'

'Piper and Phoebe told me that you tried orbing into a painting,' said Andy. 'Apparently you ended up hitting your head on the canvas and were knocked out.'

Paige blushed as the memory of her last moments of consciousness returned to her. Piper had been pacing back and forth as she, Phoebe, and Paige had discussed the possibility of Prue being trapped in the painting. Paige had decided to try orbing into it, Phoebe had warned her not to, and then… nothing.

Paige turned to look at the painting. It was still perched against the wall in the living room.

Paige gulped, looking at Andy. 'Did Piper and Phoebe tell you about Prue?'

Andy nodded. 'I came home from work last night. You were lying unconscious on the sofa. Leo was healing you. I wandered in and Phoebe broke the news to me that Prue was missing.' Andy paused to contemplate this. Paige noticed his eyes dart over to the painting and then back. 'Leo finished healing you and told us that you might be unconscious for a little while longer. He then told us – well, actually, he told Piper and Phoebe. I just happened to be in the room at the time and they did not mind discussing it in front of me. He told us that his bosses were not too sure of Prue's whereabouts.'

'Which Piper and Phoebe thought was typical, because they had already figured out that she was stuck inside the painting.'

Paige and Andy turned to see Leo walking into the room.

'It is good to see you conscious, Paige,' said Leo. 'I thought you knew that you cannot orb to a different dimension.'

Paige blushed. 'I thought I had read somewhere that it is possible. Besides it was better than sitting around and waiting for you to come back…' Paige paused as she realised something. She turned to Andy, and said, 'Did you say this happened last night? How long have I been unconscious for?' Then Paige turned to Leo, and said, 'If you healed me, how come I staid unconscious for so long and how come there is still a ringing in my head?'

'Sometimes the individual is still weak after being healed,' said Leo. 'You know that.'

Paige sighed. 'If it is the morning, where are Piper and Phoebe? Have they been working on finding a way to get Prue out?'

'Piper went to Prue's office to look for clues,' said Leo.

'Wait, isn't Piper supposed to be at her club? She has a meeting with Dan,' said Paige.

Leo grimaced. 'Dan? Neighbour Dan?'

'Yes. He works in construction,' said Paige.

'I think Phoebe went to that meeting for Piper,' said Andy.

Leo's protective stance relaxed a little when Andy said this.

'How long ago did they leave?' asked Paige.

'A couple of hours ago,' said Andy.

Paige nodded. 'Have you been doing anything to help, Leo?'

'I have been busy helping other charges, but I have been asking each of those charges what they know about portals into paintings,' said Leo.

'Anything useful?' asked Paige.

Leo shook his head.

Paige sighed. 'Would Gideon be of any use? I remember seeing that he used to love to refer to that book with a chapter called 'Everything you wanted to know about portals but were afraid to ask' every time I went to magic school with Isobel and Wil –' Paige paused. She had not thought about Wilson for a while. Paige quickly finished her sentence. '– son. Maybe that will hold the key to getting into the painting or to getting Prue out.'

'I will go and speak to him,' said Leo. 'Call me if anything happens.'

Paige nodded and Leo orbed out.

'There is a magic school?' said Andy in shock.

Before Paige could respond, the front door opened and shut. Phoebe entered the living room.

'Paige! You are awake!' said Phoebe, smiling. 'You have got to stop going unconscious on us.'

'I will try,' said Paige. 'How was the meeting with Dan?'

'It went well,' said Phoebe. Phoebe turned to Andy. 'Shouldn't you be at work?'

'Yes, but Prue is missing,' said Andy. 'I cannot leave.'

'Yes you can,' said Phoebe, ushering Andy out of the living room. Paige followed them.

'No, I cannot,' said Andy.

'Andy, we will sort this out,' said Phoebe. 'I assure you that Prue will be home and safe by the time that you get back tonight.'

Phoebe pushed Andy out of the front door and closed it before he could protest.

'Phoebe, don't you think we should have let Andy stay here?' asked Paige. 'With Death after him, it may have been better to make him stay here.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'We don't know what malevolent force trapped Prue in that painting. We don't want Andy here when that evil force comes a-knocking after we free Prue, especially as Death is after Andy.'

Paige nodded. 'Fair point.'

Paige noticed a piece of paper lying on the foyer table. She went over to it and picked it up. It was an aptitude test. It had Phoebe's name on it and the whole thing had been completed.

Paige frowned. 'Linear algebra? Differentials? HTML? Pheebs, how do you know all these answers? What is this even for?'

'It is an aptitude test for that job I was being interviewed for,' said Phoebe. 'I have to hand it in by five tonight.'

'How do you know all the answers though?' asked Paige. 'You have always been hopeless at maths ever since I have known you.'

Phoebe shrugged. 'I am sure I aced it anyway.'

'How?' said Paige.

Phoebe avoided eye contact with Paige. The front door opened and Piper walked in.

'Did you find anything in Prue's office?' asked Phoebe.

'Only this x-ray copy,' said Piper, holding up a piece of paper, and walking into the living room. Phoebe and Paige followed her.

Paige recognised it as the x-ray copy she had seen the day before.

'I saw that yesterday,' said Paige. 'I forgot all about it.'

'I think it's in Latin,' said Piper. 'Can you read Latin?'

Paige shook her head.

Phoebe took the x-ray copy from Piper and said, 'It says 'To free what is lost say these words. Mine forever'. Did you say this is an x-ray of the painting?'

Piper and Paige did not answer Phoebe's question. They were staring at her.

'First you can flip pages telekinetically, then you can do math, and now you can speak Latin?' said Paige.

'No one _speaks_ Latin, Paige. It is a dead language. People translate it,' said Phoebe.

'Who are you and what have you done with, Phoebe?' asked Piper.

'What's wrong with me knowing Latin?' asked Phoebe.

'You never knew it before,' said Piper.

'Just like you could never telekinetically flip book pages or do advanced math,' added Paige.

'Phoebe, what did you do?' asked Piper.

'I may have cast a smart spell on myself,' said Phoebe, cracking under the pressure. 'Before either of you start ranting about personal gain, I did include a 'no personal gain' clause in it. Besides it will be over by seven tonight.'

'Why would you think you need to cast one?' asked Paige.

'The interview I went to was full of geniuses. There was no way I was going to get the job and I need that money to pay for Prue's car, because I was stupid enough to drive it into a lamp post,' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe, you are not stupid,' said Piper.

'Not now that I have cast the truth spell,' said Phoebe.

'You were not stupid before either,' said Paige.

'Yes I was. Your dark lighter pal even clarified that for me,' said Phoebe.

'He is not my pal and don't listen to that jerk anyway,' said Paige, annoyed that Phoebe assumed that Paige was friends with the dark lighter just because she had not let them vanquish him.

'Phoebe, what was supposed to happen after the spell ended? I mean, if you did get the job?' asked Piper.

Phoebe sighed. 'I was going to worry about that later.' Phoebe handed Piper back the x-ray copy before skulking off upstairs.

* * *

Piper was looking at the x-ray copy. 'Why would someone write this on the underside of a painting? _Absolvo amitto amplus brevis. Semper mea_.'

Paige's eyes opened wide as she saw a whirl wind type vortex begin to drag Piper into the painting.

'Piper!' shouted Paige.

Piper dropped the x-ray copy onto the floor as she disappeared into the painting. Paige ran over to the painting, tapping the canvas, trying to follow her sister. The portal had already closed.

Paige picked up the x-ray copy. 'So this is the trigger to opening the portal,' thought Paige. She knew that she should not say it as it was possible that there would be no way out of the painting if she did. It was up to her and Phoebe to somehow figure out a reversal.

Phoebe came running downstairs. 'What happened? Where's Piper?'

Paige sighed. 'We figured out the trigger. Say these words and into the castle you go.'

'Piper is in there?' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded.

'Oh no! We have nothing to go on!' said Phoebe, panicking. 'How can we figure out a reversal if all we know is that there is a portal into a painting?'

At that moment, Leo orbed into the living room.

'Here is the book on portals that you requested, Paige,' said Leo, handing Paige the book.

'Thanks,' said Paige. 'Our situation has become even worse now.'

Leo frowned. 'Why?'

'Piper is trapped in the painting too,' said Paige.

Leo had to sit down. 'P-Piper too?'

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

'Paige, give me that book,' said Phoebe. 'I can find out if there is anything useful in there faster than you.'

Paige passed Phoebe the book. Phoebe put the book on the table and hovered her hands over it. The book flipped open and flipped through every page until it slammed shut when it reached the end.

'Is your telekinetic page flipping from the smart spell too?' asked Paige.

'It is not telekinetic page flipping. It is me absorbing the contents of the book,' said Phoebe. 'And that book told us something that we had already sussed.'

'What's that?' asked Paige.

'That we need to find the Latin phrase that will set Prue and Piper free,' said Phoebe. 'By the looks of it, once we find that phrase, they will need to recite it from inside the painting.'

'One problem at a time,' said Paige. 'Let's get around to finding out what this phrase is first.'

'That's where we are stumped,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe and Paige slumped onto the sofa next to Leo. They had no idea what to do, even with Phoebe under the influence of the smart spell.

Leo stood up. 'I am being called by a charge. I will be back as soon as possible. Don't give up.' With those words, Leo orbed out.

'He is right,' said Phoebe, standing up. 'We are the Charmed Ones. There is nothing we cannot do. We will figure this out.'

Paige agreed. 'Prue and Piper are counting on us.'

Phoebe looked at the grandfather clock for the time. 'It is six fifteen. Forty five minutes before my smart spell is over. We can do this. Go get the Book.'

Paige nodded. She orbed to the attic. She was taken aback at the sight of the attic. The attic sofa was turned on its side. Her bed was shredded to pieces. Many of the cabinets had been knocked down and the doll house that was always in the attic was on fire. Standing by the Book of Shadows was Derek.

'What have you done?' said Paige angrily. 'Get out!'

'No!' said Derek. 'I thought I would repay you the favour that you did by ruining my life.'

'I never did anything to you!' shouted Paige.

'Maybe you will listen to me now,' said Derek, smirking. He placed his hand on the Book of Shadows. The Book did not react.

'What? How are you touching it? The Book usually protects itself against evil,' said Paige, unable to take her eyes off Derek and the Book.

'Do you finally believe that I have a problem?' asked Derek. 'My powers – excluding orbing – do not work and your Book does not believe I am evil.'

'I never denied the fact that you had a problem. In fact, you have been a problem since I first met you,' mocked Paige. Then she added more seriously, noting that the Book was not rejecting him, 'Wait, does this mean you are good now?'

'No! No! Why would I ever want that?' said Derek sighing. 'This is all down to you. Maybe this is what happens when you have a dinner date with a white lighter.'

Paige smiled. 'Oh, did my orbing spectacular shock you? It surprised me too when I found out a few months ago. Apparently I am part witch part white lighter; a witch lighter if you would prefer.'

'Ugh. White lighters are worse than witches,' said Derek. 'Now help me! As a white lighter, it is even more in your genes to help me than if you were just a witch!'

'Help you? I still do not see what I need to help you with if you are turning good,' said Paige. 'Now if you will excuse me, I need that Book.'

Derek stood between the Book and Paige.

'You are not getting the Book. You need to help me,' said Derek.

Paige rolled her eyes. She orbed behind Derek so as she could get to the Book. However Derek had anticipated that she would do this and he had once again orbed into place, blocking Paige's way to the Book.

'Move,' said Paige, getting annoyed now.

'No,' said Derek stubbornly. 'Use your big bad white lighter powers to get past me – oh wait, white lighter powers are boring and passive.'

'You can talk. At least my powers work,' sniped Paige.

Derek did not reply. He remained still, blocking the path between Paige and the Book.

Paige sighed. 'I will help you later if you help me now. Two of my sisters are trapped in a painting. I need the Book to see if it will help.'

Derek sighed. 'You have yourself a deal. Call me when you have freed your sisters. I cannot stand staying in this witch and white lighter infested house for too long.'

Derek orbed out. Paige picked up the Book and walked at a fast pace downstairs. When Paige got to the foyer, Phoebe was pushing someone out of the front door.

'Who was that?' Paige asked as Phoebe closed the front door.

'Jenny. She needed help with her assignment,' said Phoebe. 'Piper was supposed to help.'

'I see,' said Paige, handing Phoebe the Book as they returned to the living room.

'We have a lead on how to help Prue and Piper,' said Phoebe before she even opened the Book up.

Paige was puzzled. 'Jenny helped you figure it out?'

'Of course not. She has no idea what is going on here,' said Phoebe. 'It was Prue and Piper who gave me a lead.'

'How?' asked Paige.

'Use a magnifying glass to look at the front window on that castle,' said Phoebe, opening the Book.

Paige did this and saw the writing on the window. 'Nell? Who is Nell?'

'We are about to find out,' said Phoebe.

The pages began to flip as Phoebe held her hands over them. 'Nell, Nell. Find me Nell.' The flipping stopped on a page. Phoebe smirked. 'This smart spell rocks, right?'

Paige sat down next to Phoebe so as she could read the Book of Shadows entry on Nell. The entry was long. Paige only read the first sentence which was:

_In the 1920s, a witch named Nell tricked a powerful warlock into a painting with a hidden spell that only his power of x-ray vision could see._

'Hmm… How does this help us?' asked Paige.

'Hang on, let me skim down to see if there is anything about how to free them,' said Phoebe. 'Found something: _Verva omnes liberant_. Words free us all. _These words will free anyone trapped inside the painting_.'

'We have to get those words into the painting for Prue and Piper to read, right?' said Paige.

Phoebe nodded. Paige stood up and wrote down the words on a piece of paper.

'What are you doing, Paige?' asked Phoebe.

'You have already sussed what I am doing,' said Paige, smiling.

'Don't! We can do it another way!' said Phoebe.

Paige shrugged. 'I want to see what it is like in there though.'

Paige picked up the x-ray copy and read: '_Absolvo amitto amplus brevis. Semper mea_.'

Paige dropped the x-ray copy to the floor and waved to Phoebe as she was dragged into the painting.

* * *

Paige hurtled onto the carpet of a dimly lit dining room. Slowly Paige stood up. A fireball came flying in her direction. Paige quickly orbed out of the way, reappearing by a bookcase. Paige suddenly fell backwards as the bookcase opened like a doorway. She fell onto the carpet of another room. From where she lay on the ground, Paige could see Prue, Piper, and a man looking down at her.

Piper helped Paige to her feet, while Prue closed the bookcase door.

'Paige, what are you doing here?' asked Piper. 'Now we only have Phoebe to help us and she does not have long until that smart spell wears off.'

'And why can I not be your rescue party, Piper-thee-of-little-faith?' said Paige.

'You found a way out?' asked Prue.

Paige nodded, smiling. 'Well, actually, Phoebe did.'

'That's great. Tell us!' said the man.

Paige looked at the man. 'And you are the man that Prue saw in the painting?'

'Yes he is,' said Prue. 'His name is Malcolm. He was trapped in here seventy years ago by his girlfriend, Nell, who happened to be a witch.'

'Ex-girlfriend,' said Malcolm.

Paige stared at Malcolm in shock as she remembered the first sentence from the entry on Nell. She stepped back from him.

'Prue, Piper…' said Paige, grabbing their arms. Paige orbed herself and her sisters into the dining room.

'Paige!' shouted Prue, ducking from a fireball. 'Why did you send us out here?'

Piper froze an advancing fireball.

'That man – Malcolm – is a powerful warlock. From what Phoebe found out, Nell was a good witch who trapped him in here! We cannot let him go free!' said Paige.

'It makes sense,' said Prue.

Piper nodded and said to Prue, 'You were beginning to have your own doubts about him before Paige showed up, weren't you?'

Paige orbed out of the way of another oncoming fireball.

'What's the spell to get the three of us out of here then?' asked Piper.

'Here,' said Paige, showing them the piece of paper.

Together they read out loud, '_Verva omnes liberant_.'

* * *

Prue, Piper, and Paige were thrown out of the painting onto their living room floor.

'Yes! We are back!' said Paige, smiling.

Prue smiled. 'It is good to be home.'

Phoebe ran over to her sisters and hugged them.

'Just remember to ignore a man in a painting next time, Prue,' said Piper.

'I cannot believe I almost saved a warlock,' said Prue.

'What do we do with the painting?' asked Phoebe.

'It is only half past six, Pheebs. You are still under the influence of the smart spell for another half an hour. Think of something creative for us,' said Paige.

'Wait… It is half past six? Andy would normally be home by now,' said Prue, concerned.

'We sent him off to work earlier today,' said Phoebe.

'Maybe he is running late with a case?' suggested Piper.

'Or maybe he is in the middle of a hostage case,' said a fifth female voice.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned around to see a woman standing in the foyer with Andy. She was holding an athame to his throat. Andy gulped.


	12. The Painted World (AndAHostageScenario)

**A/N:** I really need to stop making these episodes four chapters long. Three was just fine for the first season. Also a note, from now on, when I write thoughts, rather than writing them as: Paige thought 'Bla bla bla', I will be writing them in italics, like this: Paige thought, _Bla bla bla_.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: The Painted World (And A Hostage Scenario)**

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood facing the woman that was holding an athame to Andy's throat. Paige noticed that Prue had a hint of recognition on her face.

'Miss Franklin?' said Prue, confused.

The woman laughed. 'That was my cover name when I gave you the painting, witch. My name is Jane and you were supposed to free Malcolm for me.'

'You're a warlock too?' said Prue.

Jane sneered. 'Of course. Now if you don't go back into the painting and free my boyfriend, I will be forced to kill yours.'

'Wow, you are slow on the update. Your hostage is not my boyfriend, he is my husband,' said Prue, clenching her fists.

'Make one wrong move and he will die,' said Jane. 'That includes you, freezie! I can slice faster than you can freeze me!'

Piper raised an eyebrow and said sincerely, 'I have never been called that one before.'

_We need a distraction,_ thought Paige. _If any of us move though, she will kill Andy. Hurry up and get back here, Dad_. Obviously, she knew that Leo could not hear her thoughts, and if she called out Leo's name, Jane would know that she was calling for a white lighter. Then it clicked.

'Jane, you look like a bit of a nervous _wreck_,' said Paige, putting emphasis on the last word.

'I don't think you are in a position to mock me, unless you don't like your sister's husband…' Jane trailed off, counting the number of witches in the room. 'There are only supposed to be three Charmed Ones. One of you must be an ordinary witch.'

'Guess again,' said Prue. 'We are four sisters and we are all Charmed.'

Jane looked surprised and almost lost her grip on the athame.

'I told you that you looked like a nervous _wreck_,' said Paige, once again putting emphasis on the final word.

Derek orbed in behind Jane. Paige tried not to react. She hoped that her sisters' expressions would not give him away either. Paige could see Derek assessing the situation. He looked from Paige to her sisters to the warlock holding an athame against Andy's neck. Derek orbed out.

Paige's jaw dropped. She had called for Derek, she had wanted him to help, yet he had orbed straight out as soon as he had noticed that Paige had not been calling him to help with his problem.

'Tick tock, girls,' said Jane. 'I am going to give you one minute to go back in there. If you don't, I _will_ kill hubby here.'

'Prue, don't worry about me,' said Andy hoarsely, speaking up for the first time. 'Vanquish her.'

Suddenly Derek orbed in directly behind Jane. Jane's eyes widened in shock. She dropped the athame to the floor and let go of Andy. Jane burst into flame. Derek smirked, holding a knife in his hand – the knife he had used to vanquish Jane.

'Sorry I disappeared, I had to find a knife, considering my powers are not working,' said Derek. 'Looks like you have to start laughing at that wingman joke now, considering I just saved you as if I were your guardian angel.' Derek smirked at his reference to the first time they had met. 'You owe me double now, witch.' With those words, Derek orbed out.

Paige gaped. She owed him double? She had not even owed him once! Sure she had made a deal with him, but that did not count as owing him for the first time.

Prue ran over to Andy and hugged him. Piper and Phoebe turned to Paige.

'Was that your dark lighter pal from yesterday?' asked Phoebe.

'I told you he is not my friend,' said Paige.

'I am glad we did not vanquish him yesterday,' said Phoebe, smiling.

'That is not the point. Paige, you should not be hanging around with dark lighters. They could kill you!' said Piper.

'I am not hanging around with him! He keeps showing up. Except for just now when I called for him, but we needed someone to show up and help,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but he's a dark lighter!' said Piper with concern.

'He saved Andy, didn't he?' said Paige.

The clock struck seven. Prue and Andy joined Piper, Phoebe, and Paige.

'Looks like your spell is over, Pheebs,' said Prue.

Phoebe shrugged. 'It's okay. That spell did not really work out like I planned. I mean, Paige and I were stumped until you got that message about Nell to us. All my smart spell did was make me a fast researcher.'

'Besides Pheebs, you have your own smarts,' said Piper. 'Smarts that Prue and I don't have. I don't know what to say for Paige after her attempt at orbing into a solid painting incident.'

Paige blushed. 'Everyone is entitled to have their blonde moment.'

'So what do we do about Malcolm?' Phoebe said, gesturing at the painting.

'Well he is trapped in there. As long as we don't let anyone evil find the painting with the words that would set him free, he will stay in there,' said Prue.

* * *

The next morning, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige went on a trip to the beach with Leo, Andy, and the painting. Andy and Leo stood back while Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige approached the ocean with the painting.

'Prue, would you like to do the honours?' said Paige, handing Prue the painting.

Prue passed the painting to Phoebe. 'I think Phoebe has earned the right to do it.'

'I wouldn't really call throwing a painting into the ocean an honour, but okay,' said Phoebe. 'Prue, do you mind telekinetically holding it up in the air, so as I can have a run up?'

'Okay…' said Prue, unsure of why Phoebe needed a running start.

Prue made a gesture with her hands and the painting floated into the air. Phoebe ran over to the rocks before running back towards the painting. As she approached the painting, she swung her leg out and kicked it, causing the painting to fly into the ocean. Phoebe smiled as the painting splashed into the ocean.

'Nicely done,' said Paige.

'Hopefully no one will come across the painting for a long time,' said Piper.

'Let's hope no one ever comes across it again, at all,' said Prue.

* * *

Prue and Andy went for a walk along the beach together. Piper and Leo similarly departed from the group to spend some time together. Phoebe and Paige had practically been ditched.

'I really need to get a life,' groaned Paige.

'Ditto,' sighed Phoebe.

Suddenly Leo orbed in front of them with Piper. Piper looked annoyed.

'Phoebe, I just had a phone call from Dan,' said Piper. 'Apparently you should not be helping Jenny with her homework in future, and you also wanted to make loads of expensive, unnecessary changes to my club.'

Phoebe blushed. 'Blame it on the smart spell. We all know personal gain spells have consequences. They just so happened to affect Dan and Jenny this time.'

Piper rolled her eyes and smiled. 'Anyway, I have to go and meet Dan to go over the final costings for the club due to how your meeting with him went yesterday.'

Paige looked from Piper to Leo. Leo did not look pleased that Piper was going to be ditching a day out with him to go and talk to neighbour Dan.

'Piper, are you sure Phoebe and I cannot go for you? I am sure you would rather spend your day with Leo,' said Paige.

Leo smiled and looked at Piper. 'Paige is right. You can trust her to do that for you. I want to be able to spend an uninterrupted day with you.'

Piper shook her head. 'I had better go speak to him. It is my club. I will need someone to orb me there though.'

'I will do it,' said Leo.

Piper laughed. 'Leo, are you jealous of Dan? I am dating you. You have nothing to be worried about.'

'I am not jealous of Dan, I just want to spend the day with you, even if that involves your club,' said Leo.

'By the way, Piper, what is the club called?' added Phoebe, curiously.

'Not telling,' said Piper, smiling, and grabbing Leo's hand.

Piper and Leo disappeared in a flurry of orbs.

'Now what do we do?' Paige asked Phoebe.

Phoebe's expression became serious.

'What are you thinking about, Pheebs?' asked Paige.

'Your friend, the dark lighter,' said Phoebe.

'How many times do I have to tell you: He is not my friend!' shouted Paige.

Phoebe shook her head. 'Paige, you actually called him today for help. Sure he did help us, but he seems to think that you owe him a favour or two now and he knows you are part white lighter. I think we should be finding a way to vanquish him before he tries killing you… or Leo.'

'Phoebe, he won't hurt me, okay?' said Paige.

'How do you know that? He did not seem to have a problem killing the warlock,' said Phoebe.

'Let me put it like this: He was able to touch the Book,' said Paige. 'He cannot be as bad as other dark lighters.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'Abraxas was able to touch the Book and he was definitely evil.'

'Phoebe, just trust me on this,' said Paige.

Phoebe shook her head again.

Paige sighed in exasperation. 'Why do I bother trying to convince you?' With those words, Paige orbed out. She found herself orbing to the main stairwell of Piper's club.

Paige sat down on the steps, where she was out of sight of the bar. However she could hear Piper, Leo, and Dan's conversation.

'Can you fix it cheap and quick?' Piper was asking.

'In a couple of days, sure,' said Dan.

'You are hi –' Piper began but was interrupted.

'Piper, I am a handyman. You know I can fix these things for you and I will do it on the house,' said Leo.

'Oh, Leo… Dan is in the actual construction industry. This is a lot more work than just mending a few broken windows and varnishing walls,' said Piper.

'Piper, I mean it… Looking at this list of things to do, I know I can do it,' said Leo.

'It's okay, Piper,' said Dan. 'If Leo would rather do the work, he can.'

'No, Dan! I need you to do it. Leo has another job that could whisk him away at any moment, meaning it would take him longer to get the club fixed up,' said Piper, her tone quickly becoming one of aggravation.

'Piper! Don't moan about my other job! The one day that we both have a day off from our jobs, you decide to go to this one! So how can you moan about my other job?' said Leo angrily.

There was an awkward silence. Paige could not see the bar from where she sat, but she assumed that Dan was probably feeling very awkward in the middle of a couple spat. Paige definitely felt awkward eavesdropping on it.

_I should go_, thought Paige, however she did not move. She waited on the steps.

The silence of the club was broken by Dan. 'I should go.'

'No, Dan. I want to hire you as the contractor,' said Piper.

Paige heard a door slam. Leo had probably just vacated the main bar area into one of the back rooms in irritation.

'Are you sure, Piper?' said Dan. 'Leo did not seem happy.'

'It is not his club, Dan,' said Piper.

'I did not even know you had another job, Piper,' said Dan.

Piper did not reply to Dan's statement. Paige heard the sound of orbing behind her on the steps. Leo had appeared. He beckoned for her to follow him up the steps. Paige did. Leo stopped at the main entrance to the club to talk to Paige.

'I sensed you orb in a little while ago,' said Leo.

'Sorry. I was not trying to eavesdrop,' said Paige. 'I wanted to speak to Piper, but then I did not want to interrupt her meeting with Dan, so I waited, and then…'

'Yeah… We had a little argument,' said Leo.

'I heard,' said Paige.

'Do you know if there is anything going on between Piper and… him?' Leo asked.

Paige frowned, appalled by the question. 'I cannot believe you would ask me something like that! I am not going to tell you what Piper does when you are not around! I am not going to be a spy for you! How could you ask me to spy on my own sister?'

Paige went to walk back down the stairs, but then she turned back for a second. Leo was staring at her.

'Dan is just a neighbour and a friend,' said Paige. 'Get that in your mind or you won't be welcome at the manor for much longer.'

Leo gulped. Paige turned back around and walked down the stairs into the club.

As Paige walked back down the stairs, Dan was walking onto the steps.

'Hi Paige,' said Dan. 'I thought Piper said her sisters were all at the beach. How did you get from there to here so fast?'

'Oh, I left the beach ages ago,' said Paige.

'Oh okay,' said Dan. 'See you around.'

'Bye,' Paige said, as Dan passed her on the stairs.

Paige heard the front door of the club shut. Paige sat down on the bottom step. Piper had not heard her speaking to Dan and therefore did not know she was there. Paige was not sure whether Piper wanted anyone to talk to her just now, so Paige did not want to barge in. Paige could see her sister from where she sat on the steps. Piper was sat at the bar, facing away from Paige.

Suddenly the club's landline phone rang. Piper reached over the bar and picked it up.

'Hello?' Piper said into the phone.

Paige furrowed her brow. She was sure she had just heard the echo of Piper's voice, but why?

Obviously no one had answered Piper, because Piper repeated into the phone: 'Hello?'

Once again, Paige thought she heard an echo of this. Slowly Paige stuck her hand into her pocket, pulling out her own phone. Her own phone was in the middle of a call with… the club? Paige put her phone up to her ear.

'Hello?' said Piper, getting annoyed now. 'Who is this?'

'Prue,' said Paige, sussing that Prue had telekinetically dialled Paige's phone again. Paige stood up on the steps and looked around for Prue.

'Paige? Is that you? Why did you call me Prue? You are the one who phoned me at my club. Prue is at the beach with you,' Piper said into the phone.

'Prue! Where are you?' said Paige, ignoring Piper, while Paige looked up and down the stairs, still with the phone to her ear.

'Hang on. You sound like you are in the club as well as talking to me on the phone,' said Piper.

Paige looked up the stairs for Prue. As Paige turned around to come back down the stairs, she almost dropped the phone. Piper was standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her.

'If you wanted to talk, you did not have to phone me,' said Piper.

Paige blushed. 'I didn't phone you. Prue did.' Then Paige realised she still had her phone to her ear, pointlessly, and quickly hung up.

'Prue came with you?' said Piper.

'No,' said Paige, following Piper to the bar. 'I know it was Prue who must have telekinetically dialled my phone though. She did it the other day. This means she must be here somewhere.' Paige was still looking around for any glimpse of Prue. 'Prue! I know you are here!'

Prue came down the stairs that Paige had just been sitting on and joined them at the bar.

'Prue, what are you doing here?' asked Piper. Then Piper turned to Paige and repeated the same question, 'Paige, what are you doing here?'

'You go first, Paige,' said Prue.

'You must have left before me to get here this fast,' said Paige. 'You should go first.'

'Your reason is probably shorter than mine,' countered Prue.

'Will one of you start?' asked Piper.

Paige sighed. 'I had a little argument with Phoebe.'

'About what?' asked Prue.

'Over the fact that we never vanquished that dark lighter,' said Paige.

'The one who saved Andy?' asked Prue.

Paige nodded.

'If you had vanquished him before, we would have had to have given into Jane's demands and freed Malcolm,' said Prue.

'Prue! Paige should not be hanging around with a dark lighter,' said Piper.

'I know,' said Prue. 'For that part I am concerned, _but_ he has not posed a threat to Paige yet _and_ he did save Andy.'

'About Andy…' said Paige, turning the subject back onto Prue. 'Where is he? Last I saw, you had wandered off along the beach with him.'

Prue sighed. 'Andy and I began discussing the moving out thing again. He still thinks that I am hiding something from him, and I am… I just don't know how to tell him that Death is after him.'

'You are worried that he will just accept it as a fact and not let you try to save him, aren't you?' said Piper gently.

Prue nodded. 'We got into another argument, so I decided to jump in the car and drive back home.'

Paige laughed sympathetically. 'Sounds like Andy and Pheebs are going to have to walk home from the beach.'

'I passed Dan in the car park. He told me that the two of you were in here. When I got to the stairs, I noticed you, Paige, sitting on the steps, not speaking to Piper, so I decided to telekinetically have your phone dial the club to break the silence.'

Paige narrowed her eyes. 'I did not see you on the stairs.'

Prue smiled. 'You did not look around the corner at the top of the stairs.'

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'Are you okay, Prue?'

Prue sighed, her smile vanishing. 'I don't know what to do about Andy. Do I tell him? Don't I tell him?'

Piper sighed. 'You are not the only one having issues with a guy.'

Prue looked at Piper. 'What happened?'

'Leo gets jealous of good looking neighbours. That's what,' interrupted Paige.

Piper glared at Paige. 'You were listening?'

'Er, I may have orbed in when you, Leo, and Dan were chatting,' said Paige, blushing. 'Sorry.'

Piper sighed. 'That's okay.'

The three sisters sat at the bar in silence. Paige assumed that Prue was thinking about her Andy situation and that Piper was thinking about her Leo-Dan situation. Meanwhile Paige was busy thinking about her Derek situation.

* * *

**A/N:** Whoa, Piper/Leo conflict and Prue/Andy conflict. As to the conversation about Derek between Phoebe and Paige: I want Phoebe to be the main one against Paige and Derek's alliance (I am not allowed to call it a friendship… yet), because that will make Paige's season three reaction to Phoebe's relationship with Cole (yeah, because Paige will meet him before season four in this fan fiction) a lot more debatable. Anyway, the Phoebe/Cole scenario is ages away if I even ever get to season three. Lastly, I hope to unveil the club's name in the following chapter. I have no idea whether it should remain as _P3_ or not yet. It seems insulting to call it _P3_ because there are four of them, but it still is _The Power of Three_, even with the four of them – and in the canon, _P3_ is a nod towards _The Power of Three_, not the fact that there are three of them. Therefore it should be fine to call it _P3_. My dilemma comes with the inability to want to name it something else. Advice on the club's name/what to call the club is welcome.


	13. The Devil's Music (And In The Kitchen)

**A/N:** Thanks for the advice on the club's name and the reviews in general.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The Devil's Music (And In The Kitchen)**

It had been a couple of days since Piper's club, _P3_, had officially opened. Piper had named it to represent the Power of Three even though there were four sisters. At the moment, Piper's club was relatively empty most evenings. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige attended most evenings to try and add to the atmosphere, but it was too quiet for a club at the moment. It needed more hype or it would not be open for much longer.

Leo had not appeared at the manor since his and Piper's fight. Piper had been burying herself in working on _P3_ all week to avoid her sisters seeing that she was upset. Meanwhile, Prue and Andy continued to live in Halliwell manor. Prue and Andy had not argued in public – as in not in front of Piper, Phoebe, or Paige – recently, but that did not mean that the tension had disappeared. It was obvious that Andy knew that Prue was not telling him something, but because he loved her, he had decided to drop the subject for a little while.

Meanwhile Phoebe was being Phoebe, doing whatever Phoebe does during the week, and Paige was back to moping around the manor with hardly anything to do. Paige had not called for Derek, but she knew that he would be back soon. Paige did not know what to do about him.

Paige was having a lie in one morning. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had been at _P3_ until four in the morning, while Prue and Andy had spent the evening alone at the manor. Piper had had hardly any customers that night, so Phoebe and Paige were not needed to help at the bar, but they had wanted to hang around to support Piper, as well as staying behind after the club had closed to help Piper clear up.

'Paige!'

Paige did not open her eyes. Phoebe was calling her name from downstairs. Paige did not want to get up. She wanted more sleep.

'Paige!'

Paige opened her eyes. This time Piper had called her name from downstairs too.

'Paige!'

This time it was Prue that had called for Paige from downstairs. Paige sighed. She did not want to get up, but if all three were calling for her, it was probably due to Charmed One business and not because one of her sisters wanted to yell at her about forgetting to empty the dishwasher or forgetting to let them know that they had run out of instant coffee.

Paige sighed again. She needed some caffeine before she could have a proper conversation about Charmed One duties. Paige orbed directly into the kitchen. She went to the cupboard and pulled out the empty pack of instant coffee.

'Oops,' said Paige, suddenly remembering again that she had finished it the day before.

'I will moan at you about that later,' said Prue.

Paige turned around to see Prue standing at the kitchen door. Piper and Leo joined Prue by the door. Phoebe squeezed past them into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. Piper decided to follow suit and sit next to Phoebe. Leo remained at the door, while Prue walked further into the kitchen. Prue decided to stay standing.

'Sorry. I realised it was Charmed talk and wanted some caffeine before we started,' said Paige.

Prue laughed. 'Too bad that you forgot to tell us to get more instant coffee yesterday.'

'Sorry. I am not a morning person,' said Paige delicately.

'Your initials fit that description perfectly,' said Piper, feigning a smile.

'Yeah, too bad my name could not start with an A. Then I would be a morning person,' said Paige.

As this was said, Prue, Piper, Paige, and Leo all glanced at Phoebe. Phoebe noticed their glances.

'Hey! Why are you staring at me? My initials are PH, not AM!' said Phoebe, confused.

'Can we get onto business?' said Leo, changing the subject. 'I should not be sticking around here. I have other charges to see.'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'I am sure they would be a lot more welcoming to you than we are. That is as long as you don't decide to barge into their professional lives too!'

'Er, what did I miss?' asked Paige. She knew that Piper was still mad at Leo about the Dan stuff, but Piper's sudden outburst seemed like it was about something else.

Phoebe sighed. 'Leo got Dishwalla to play at Piper's club tonight.'

'Isn't that a good thing?' asked Paige, puzzled.

'Boy, Paige, you really do need caffeine to drive your brain in the mornings,' said Phoebe, who was about to continue, but Prue interrupted her.

'Pheebs, it's the afternoon,' said Prue.

'Is it? Oh, wow, how did I not notice that?' said Phoebe, suddenly glancing at her watch. 'Anyway, Paige, what I meant was: Piper is mad because this is demon related. Why else would Leo use magic on a band?'

Paige furrowed her brows. 'Why would a demon be associated with a mortal band? Hang on, I mean, why would a mortal band be associated with a demon?'

'We have not gotten to that part yet,' said Prue. 'We decided we had better get you down here, considering you are one of us.'

'Thanks,' said Paige.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned to Leo, now expecting him to speak.

'Anyway, as I was saying before, I used a charge's potion on Dishwalla's manager to make him book a gig at _P3_. From what I have been told, the band's manager made a deal with Masselin,' said Leo.

'The demon that…' Paige paused to yawn. '…that consumes people's souls?'

Leo nodded.

Piper looked at Paige, stunned. 'So you find it hard to function in the morning without caffeine, but you can still practically remember the A to Z of demons?'

Paige shrugged, embarrassed by Piper's remark.

'Why would their band manager be working with a demon?' Phoebe asked Leo, causing everyone to look back over at Leo.

'I have been told that Masselin promises wealth and power in return for innocents,' said Leo. 'You four need to free those who have been trapped inside the demon before you vanquish him.'

Piper frowned and asked sarcastically, 'Is this in between sets or during the encore?'

This was followed by a small argument between Piper and Leo that was swiftly concluded with Leo orbing out. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige had remained silent during this slight distraction from the main issue at hand.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige tried to help Piper recompose herself after this. Prue suddenly realised that she had to leave the manor for work. She had only been home for her lunch break.

'Wait! What about the demon?' Phoebe called after Prue.

'The demon stuff is not until tonight! I have to keep my job! Bye!' Prue called back. A minute later, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige heard the front door shut.

Piper stood up. 'I guess I have to go and prepare things at _P3_, not that it matters, because the evening will probably get wrecked anyway.'

Paige shivered at hearing the word _wreck_. Piper and Phoebe did not notice it.

'I am sorry, Piper,' said Phoebe. 'Paige and I will use the Book to figure out a plan.'

'We will see you at _P3_ later,' said Paige.

Piper smiled weakly. 'Thanks.' Piper left the kitchen and two minutes later, the front door was heard opening and closing.

Phoebe stood up. 'Shall we go and find the Book of Shadows?'

Paige began to nod, but then decided to shake her head instead. 'Not just yet. I need something to wake me up.' Paige turned around to face the cupboards again and began to rummage through for something useful.

Phoebe laughed. 'Get upstairs, get showered, and get changed. We will go for a coffee and then check the Book.'

Paige turned back around to face Phoebe, after realising that it was a hopeless task to try and find a hidden instant coffee packet at the back of the cupboard.

'Fine,' said Paige.

* * *

A few hours later, Paige orbed into the kitchen with Phoebe after being refreshed by a good cup of coffee at a local café. They had stopped off at the attic to bring down the Book of Shadows. Phoebe started flipping through the Book straight away and stopped when she had found an entry on the demon. Paige stood next to Phoebe and read the parts of the entry that seemed most important:

_Trapped within the demon… The unfortunate ones kept alive, their souls tortured for the pleasure he gets from their suffering…The demon seeks willing, trusting souls, delivered by the one who sealed the pact._

'So one of us needs to get close to the manager?' suggested Phoebe.

'We will discuss who later,' said Paige. 'We should focus on the potion for now.'

Further down on the page was a method for a potion that would free Masselin's victims and vanquish Masselin. Phoebe and Paige started on the potion.

* * *

While Phoebe and Paige were working on the potion, Prue entered the kitchen.

'Something smells good,' said Prue.

'I wouldn't eat it, unless you want to puke your guts out and then explode,' said Phoebe.

'What food has that written on its label?' said Prue, raising an eyebrow. She knew full well that Phoebe and Paige were making a vanquishing potion, but continuing the banter was more interesting.

'The wonderful brand of Masselin Vanquish Potions provided by the Book of Shadows Ltd. Supermarket,' said Paige.

'That's definitely a speciality,' said Prue, smiling.

'What are you doing back from work so early?' asked Phoebe, looking at her watch.

'Andy rang and said he needed to talk to me about something. I was pretty much done for the day at Bucklands anyway, so I decided I may as well head off,' said Prue.

Phoebe and Paige nodded. Phoebe was concentrating on adding the correct amount of an ingredient to the brewing potion. Meanwhile, Paige was looking at Prue, wondering whether or not to ask…

'How are things with Andy?' asked Paige, blurting the question out.

'…Good,' said Prue, but Paige had noticed the hesitation. Prue noticed that Paige had noticed, so added, 'Andy and I are still very edgy about the moving out thing. However, I think he has accepted that I have my reasons for not wanting to move out, and that I might not decide to tell him.'

'Are you going to tell him about the Death thing?' Phoebe asked, glimpsing up from the potion.

'No,' said Prue. 'I can't. How can I?'

* * *

A few minutes later, Andy entered the kitchen. He kissed Prue and then looked at the hob where the potion was brewing.

'I really hope that you are preparing to vanquish a demon,' said Andy.

'Why?' asked Paige.

'Why, because if that is tonight's dinner, I might have to order a take in,' said Andy.

'We are not even eating in tonight,' said Prue. 'I need to join Phoebe and Paige at the club tonight with Piper.'

'I will join you at _P3_. I have not been there often enough yet. Besides I heard on the radio that Dishwalla were playing there tonight. It will be nice to see them play live. Also Darryl is going to be there and I could back him up,' said Andy.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige ignored the part about Darryl. They had stopped listening after Andy had uttered the word '_P3_'. Prue frowned. She glanced at Phoebe and Paige, her expression requesting that they back her up with what she was about to say. Andy noticed this exchange of glances.

'You don't want me to attend _P3_ tonight, do you?' said Andy.

Prue sighed. 'Andy, there will be demonic activity there tonight. I want you to be safe.'

'If _P3_ is still open to the general public, then the demonic activity cannot be that bad,' said Andy. 'Besides this means that my case at work is demonic, which is not a surprise considering that the club involved belongs to a Halliwell.'

Once again, Prue, Phoebe, and Paige had ignored the part about Andy's case, because they were too busy trying to think up a way to keep Andy away from _P3_. Prue cleared her throat, indicating for Phoebe and Paige to butt in any second now.

'Andy, you need to stay at the manor, because… because…' said Paige, going completely blank on a possible excuse.

Luckily, Phoebe had managed to think up an excuse. 'Piper put the wrong shipping address on a few crates of alcoholic beverages that were supposed to go to _P3_. When Piper realised she had used the wrong address, she phoned up the company to change the address, but they refused. The crates are due to be delivered to the manor tonight. Someone has to be here to sign for them.'

'What does that have anything to do with there being demons at the club tonight?' said Andy, looking at Phoebe, obviously trying to tell if she was lying or not.

'As there will be demons at the club tonight, all four of us need to be there to fight the demon. That leaves you as the only person who can sign for the delivery,' said Paige quickly.

'All you have to do is wait for it to show up, sign for it, and then you can come to _P3_,' said Prue, knowing full well that the fictional delivery driver would never show up, so Andy would not be attending _P3_ that evening. 'Don't worry about moving the crates. Piper will get some of her staff to move the crates to _P3_ tomorrow.'

Andy was now staring at all three sisters, wondering whether to believe them or not. Eventually, he sighed and nodded.

'Thank you!' said Prue, hugging her husband gratefully.

'Oops,' said Phoebe, who had almost forgotten about the brewing potion. She switched off the hob, and with Prue and Paige's help, moved the pot onto a cool surface.

'How do we get that into the demon?' asked Paige.

Phoebe smiled, holding up an empty water balloon.

'So what time is the delivery due?' asked Andy.

'Er, somewhere between ten and midnight, I think,' said Paige.

'That is very late for a delivery,' Andy pointed out.

'Which is exactly another reason why Piper won't be using that delivery company again!' said Paige.

Andy sighed. 'I turned down a night shift at work for this.'

Prue looked over at Andy when he said this. She, Phoebe, and Paige had finally processed that Andy had kept mentioning a case.

'You were offered to work tonight?' asked Prue. 'Hang on. Have we even gotten onto what you wanted to talk to me about yet?'

'Darryl and I were put onto a case involving people going missing at clubs,' said Andy.

'Aren't you homicide detectives?' asked Paige. 'What are you doing working on missing people cases?'

Andy shrugged. 'Low police staff?'

Prue glared at Paige for interrupting and side tracking Andy. Prue then turned back to Andy and said, 'Your case sounds familiar to our demon's M.O.'

Andy sighed. 'Exactly. I took tonight off, but I wanted to warn you about the effect this might have on Piper's club. Darryl will be there tonight. If I had chosen to take up the shift, I would have been going there too.'

'Sorry,' said Prue. 'Don't worry though. We will handle it.'

'It will become another incomplete case for Darryl and me though,' said Andy.

'No. The manager is mortal. We won't be vanquishing him, so if we catch him, we will make sure to hand him over to Darryl,' said Phoebe.

Andy nodded, but then sighed. 'I need to help Darryl. He is my partner.'

'He may be your professional partner, but I am your legal partner. Help me by staying here, please?' said Prue gently.

Andy sighed.

'You can join Darryl as soon as you have signed for the delivery, I promise,' added Prue.

'Is there anyway that you can get someone else to wait for this delivery like your new neighbour?' asked Andy. When Prue shook her head, Andy added, 'Or Leo?'

'That's not a name I want to hear on returning home!' said Piper as she entered the kitchen.

'Piper! We did not hear you come in,' said Phoebe.

'I don't have long. I thought I would come back here to get ready for tonight. Also I wanted to see how the progress on the vanquish plan was going,' said Piper.

'Good,' said Phoebe. 'We have balloons soon to be filled with potion that will be engulfed by our target.'

Piper nodded.

'Don't worry about your delivery, Piper,' said Andy. 'I have been coaxed into waiting around for it.'

'Deli –' Piper began to say, puzzled, but Paige interrupted her.

'Piper, I know things have been hectic today with the club and the demon news, but you cannot forget about the _delivery_,' said Paige.

'Yeah, the _delivery_ that was supposed to be for _P3_, but due to a mistake and stubborn drivers, will be coming here instead,' continued Phoebe.

'And because all of us will be at _P3_ for the demon vanquish, we need Andy to stay here to sign for the _delivery_,' concluded Prue.

Taking in their expressions and their emphasis, Piper nodded. 'Sure… The delivery.'

Before Andy could comment on this strange exchange between the sisters, the doorbell rang. Piper decided to be the one to leave the kitchen and answer it.

'Does this delivery exist?' asked Andy.

'Of course. Piper has just been a little scatterbrained recently. Her club is not doing well, and Leo has forced magic to collide with her club. Leo and her are not on the best terms as it is right now…' said Prue.

Andy sighed and took this as a possible answer to the strange exchange that had just passed between the four sisters.

* * *

Five minutes later, Leo entered the kitchen.

'You are not Piper,' stated Phoebe.

'Great observation, Phoebe,' said Leo.

'You rang the doorbell? I thought you liked to just orb in,' said Prue.

Leo shook his head. 'I did just orb in. Dan was the one at the door. Piper left with him to go and tell Jenny that she could not come to _P3_ tonight.'

'Are you here about tonight..?' asked Paige.

Leo shook his head. 'I actually came to talk to Piper, but… she seemed more interested in helping Dan just now.'

'Leo, she is just upset with you,' said Phoebe. 'First the jealousy stuff, now you do this to her…'

Leo sighed.

'Hey, Leo, now that you are here, do you mind staying here tonight while I go off to _P3_ with this lot?' asked Andy.

'Er, sorry, Andy. I have charges to keep an eye on,' said Leo, orbing out.

* * *

**A/N:** Only one line in that chapter came from the original canon episode, and that was one of Piper's sarcastic lines to Leo. Poor Andy; he is always being shoved onto the sidelines. I have no idea whether the 'Paige's initials are P.M so she must not be a morning person, but Phoebe is a morning person although her initials are P.H not A.M' thing made sense. Think about who plays Phoebe in the show and it should make sense.


	14. The Devil's Music (And The Interlude)

**Chapter Fourteen: The Devil's Music (And The Interlude)**

A couple of hours later, Prue, Phoebe, and Paige found themselves mulling around the crowds in _P3_, while Piper remained at the bar. The news of Dishwalla performing at _P3_ had certainly increased the crowds for the night and put _P3_ on the map.

Phoebe had decided to be the one who would coerce Carlton – the band's manager – into taking her to see the demon. Therefore Phoebe had the ballooned potion hidden in her bag.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were keeping an eye on things from different areas of the club. Therefore crowds of people separated them from one another.

Leo approached Paige.

'Paige, can we sit down? Talk?' asked Leo. Then he added, 'It is loud enough in here to have a private conversation.'

'Fine, but be quick, because, oh I don't know, we are supposed to be on demon watch,' said Paige, partially sarcastically.

Leo nodded. 'I know what I asked you the other week was wrong. I should never have asked you to tell me how well Piper knew Dan.'

'You are right that you were wrong,' said Paige.

'I know and I am sorry,' said Leo.

'You know there is someone else that you should be apologising to, right?' said Paige.

'I know,' said Leo. 'It is a little difficult to do that when she keeps avoiding me, otherwise I would have apologised to her before you.'

'I cannot persuade her to talk to you,' said Paige. 'You have jealousy issues to work on.'

Leo sighed. He stood up and wandered off into the crowd and towards the bar. Paige doubted Piper would be willing to talk to him at that very moment. She was still extremely annoyed at him.

* * *

Prue walked up to Paige.

'Hey, is everything okay?' Paige asked Prue.

'Yeah,' said Prue, staring off in another direction. 'Phoebe is talking to Carlton.'

Paige followed Prue's gaze to where Phoebe stood conversing with Carlton.

'Follow me,' said Prue.

Paige nodded and followed Prue to the bar. Paige noticed that Leo was no longer at the bar. Piper was serving a customer. Prue got Piper's attention and pointed Phoebe and Carlton out to her. Prue, Piper, and Paige watched Phoebe and Carlton walk out of sight, towards the back room.

Prue, Piper, and Paige ran out of the main bar area into the corridor that led to the back room. Piper tried opening the door of the back room, but it was locked. Prue used her telekinesis on the door and it opened. Prue, Piper, and Paige ran into the room, with Piper freezing Carlton as they saw him.

As Prue, Piper, and Paige entered the room that Phoebe stood in, they noticed something fade away from the wall that Phoebe was staring at. Prue asked Phoebe whether she had successfully vanquished the demon. Phoebe shook her head. She had not had a chance to use the potion on it yet.

The four of them left the room. Carlton must have unfrozen because he was no longer standing outside.

'We need to find Carlton,' said Prue. 'He is the only one who can get Masselin to resurface again.'

* * *

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige split up again. Piper returned to the bar, while Prue, Phoebe, and Paige covered the general area.

'He is not giving up, is he?' said Phoebe.

Paige turned around to notice that Phoebe had approached her.

'Who?' asked Paige.

'Leo,' said Phoebe. 'I saw him go up to Piper at the bar earlier.'

'He is back?' said Paige. Sure enough, when she looked over at the bar, Leo was standing there, talking to Piper. 'I think he is only trying to apologise, to make amends.'

Phoebe sighed. 'I don't know what's worse: Dating a co-worker or having a member of family be your co-worker.'

'Unless a non-family male joins our demon vanquishing team, we will never be able to compare for ourselves. Either that or you or Prue might decide to date Leo at some point,' said Paige.

'And you would never consider that?' asked Phoebe.

'Let me puke a little while you remember that Leo happens to be like family to me,' said Paige.

'Oops, sorry,' said Phoebe. 'Wait, what's Piper looking at?'

Paige looked back over at Piper. She was no longer talking to Leo, she was now looking across the room. From where they stood, Phoebe and Paige could not see who Piper had seen. Piper suddenly left the bar, and wandered off in that direction. Phoebe and Paige decided to make their way in that direction too. As Phoebe and Paige reached Piper, who was now chatting to Prue, they noticed the two of them staring off in another direction at Darryl Morris. Phoebe and Paige were finally close enough to Prue and Piper to join in on the conversation.

By the sounds of it, Piper had just asked Prue why Darryl was there, because Prue said, 'Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. Andy told me that Darryl would be here tonight as part of their missing persons' case.'

Piper sighed. 'Can they stop getting cases that relate to us?'

'Apparently it is coincidental,' said Prue flatly.

Suddenly Phoebe was approached by a security guard. He grabbed her bag.

'Hey!' Phoebe yelled.

'Give her bag back!' shouted Paige.

'Weapons check,' said the security guard, searching through Phoebe's bag.

'Excuse me?' shouted Prue. 'What gives you the right to do that?'

'This is none of your concern, ma'am,' said the security guard.

'This is _my_ club! _I_ own this place and that is _my_ sister you are searching!' yelled Piper. 'Give her bag back to her!'

'I am sorry, ma'am, but someone was concerned. I am only doing my job,' said the security guard.

'Well, you won't have a job if you don't give my sister her bag back!' yelled Piper.

As she finished yelling that, the security guard came across the potion filled balloon in the bag. Phoebe tried to snatch the balloon off the security guard. This motion caused the balloon to pop, spilling the potion down Phoebe's outfit. After making a comment about the contents of the burst balloon, the security guard decided to walk away.

'Expect the dry cleaning bill to come out of your pay check!' Piper yelled after the security guard.

Paige tried to hide her snigger. It was funny seeing Piper stand up for herself like this, after seeing Piper so worried about standing up to Martin when she had worked at Quake. In order to hide her snigger, Paige tried facing away from her sisters. That is when she saw Carlton talking to Jenny.

'Er, Piper… I thought you told Jenny not to come here,' said Paige, not taking her eyes off Jenny and Carlton.

'What do you mean?' asked Piper, walking to Paige's side. 'Oohh, that cannot be good,' Piper added, when she followed Paige's gaze.

Prue and Phoebe stood to either side of Piper and Paige now, looking in the same direction.

'We don't have the potion anymore,' said Phoebe. 'What do we do?'

'We cannot let him take Jenny,' said Paige.

'Of course not,' said Prue.

Suddenly Darryl walked in front of them, blocking their view of Jenny and Carlton.

'Darryl!' said Prue, stepping on her tip toes – which is not the easiest thing to do while wearing high heels – to see past Darryl.

'Sorry, Prue, but I have to speak to Piper,' said Darryl. 'This is important.'

'W – W – What? Darryl, can't this wait?' asked Piper.

'Piper! Jenny and Carlton are going around back!' said Prue.

Piper threw her hands up, freezing the room. The four of them ran past Darryl towards Jenny and Carlton, but the room soon unfroze. Jenny was locked in the back room before Piper could freeze the place again.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe continued to run towards the back room. Paige was about to follow, but felt someone grab her arm. Paige turned around to see…

'Derek?' said Paige. 'What are you doing here?'

'You still owe me, remember?' said Derek, smirking.

'Now is not the time,' said Paige. 'There is a demon and…'

'You are a Charmed One. There will always be a demon. Help me now or I will make sure your sisters die,' said Derek.

'How? Your powers are not working,' Paige pointed out, calling his bluff.

'I know other demons who would not mind taking the opportunity,' said Derek.

Paige sighed. 'We can defeat whatever demon you send at us.'

Derek laughed. 'Yet you refuse to use the threat of vanquishing me?'

'I would rather you suffered with your lack of powers than give you the option of that,' said Paige.

'Paige, is he bothering you?'

Paige and Derek looked around to see Leo staring at Derek.

'Dad, you know Derek. Derek, you must have met my dad,' said Paige.

'White lighter,' jeered Derek.

Leo glared at Derek. 'Get out. You are not welcome here.'

'Why should I listen to that advice, if you refuse to listen to it yourself,' said Derek, sneering when he saw Leo's surprised reaction. 'I have been here all evening. I have been sitting at the bar for most of my time here. I have heard your conversations with your ex-girlfriend.'

'She is not my… ex…' said Leo, uncertainly.

'Aaww, is the white lighter worried that he may have lost the love of his life?' mocked Derek.

'Shut up, Derek. Just leave,' said Paige.

'No. I vanquished that warlock for you. The least you can do is help me in return,' said Derek.

'Paige, is this true? You teamed up with a…' Leo was getting drowned out by the music. He sighed. 'Let's take this somewhere quieter.'

Paige followed Leo up the stairs to one of the upstairs store rooms. Unfortunately, Derek had decided to follow them there. Leo looked from Paige to Derek and back to Paige. Leo grabbed Paige's hand and orbed them to the manor attic.

'Paige, is this true? Did you really team up with a dark lighter?' asked Leo.

'No!' said Paige.

'Yes!' smirked Derek, who had orbed in fast enough to hear Leo's question.

Leo grabbed Paige's hand again and orbed them back to the _P3_ store room.

'No!' repeated Paige. 'His name happened to be easier to slot into a sentence without alerting the warlock that I was calling for someone than yours would have been.'

Once again, Derek orbed in, having followed them back to the _P3_ store room.

'You are easy to track,' said Derek, sneering.

Leo stood in front of Paige, blocking her from Derek's sight. 'You cannot blame Paige for Alec's death.'

Derek sighed. 'I have already told her that I don't. Stop orbing away because I will follow. I am not here to shoot either of you with a poisoned arrow.'

Paige laughed. 'That's only because you cannot.'

Derek growled in anger at that remark. Leo furrowed his brow in confusion.

'Derek's powers are not working,' explained Paige. 'All he can do is orb. Apparently it is my fault.'

'That is not possible…' said Leo. Most of his anger had been replaced with disbelief.

'Then call me impossible,' said Derek. 'Now if you don't mind, I was talking to the witch, not to you.'

'What is there to help you with?' asked Leo. 'We are on the side of good. If your powers are not working, then there is nothing we will do to help you.'

'Yet Paige still refuses to vanquish me against her sisters' wishes,' said Derek, sneering.

'That's probably the pacifist side of Paige making that decision – it's a white lighter trait,' said Leo. 'You are harmless, so there is no point in vanquishing you.'

Derek glared at Paige and Leo.

'Follow us if you want, but no one will be helping you,' said Leo.

Leo went to leave the store room. He beckoned for Paige to follow. Paige did that. Derek did not follow. This time, he orbed out.

As Paige and Leo left the store room, Darryl was walking past with Carlton, who was wearing handcuffs. Paige and Leo exchanged a smile.

'I think your sisters were successful,' said Leo.

Paige glanced down the stairs at the crowded dance floor. 'I think Piper's club is successful too.'

'I should go,' said Leo.

'Another charge? Or are you avoiding Piper now?' asked Paige.

Leo shook his head. 'I want to find out what the Elders know about dark lighters losing their powers.' Leo checked that the coast was clear and then orbed out.

Paige decided she did not feel like going back into the club. The demon was vanquished and everyone was safe. What Paige needed was sleep. She did not mind clubbing all night if she had a decent lie in, which she had not gotten that day. Therefore, checking that the coast was clear, Paige orbed out.

* * *

Paige had orbed into the foyer, instead of orbing directly into the attic. This turned out to be a big mistake. Andy walked out of the living room into the foyer.

'There was never a delivery, was there?' asked Andy, crossing his arms.

Paige looked at her watch. It was one o'clock in the morning.

'Oh, darn. Maybe it was supposed to be for a different day,' said Paige, smiling.

Andy did not smile back. Paige's smile vanished.

'Look, Andy, I am sorry, but it is not my place to say,' said Paige. 'I can tell you that the demon is vanquished and that you and Darryl have caught your guy.'

Andy sighed. 'Is Prue going to tell me?'

'It is not my place to say,' said Paige, feeling extremely guilty. 'Sorry.'

Slowly, Paige walked upstairs.

* * *

The next afternoon, after an extremely long lie in, Paige decided to go down to the kitchen for an extremely late breakfast. As Paige passed the foyer, she noticed Piper at the door, talking to Leo. Paige quickly shuffled past the foyer, not wanting to interrupt their heart to heart. The kitchen was bustling with the rest of the household. There were papers scrawled across the kitchen table. Phoebe stood at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal – obviously, Paige was not the only one who had gotten up very late and decided that a late breakfast would be a good addition to whatever was cooking for lunch. Prue and Andy were standing near the kitchen door. Prue had a cup of coffee in her hand.

'We have coffee?' said Paige hopefully.

Prue smiled. 'I bought more this morning.'

Paige went straight to the coffee machine to make herself a steaming cup of instant coffee. Once she had a freshly made cup in her hand, Paige asked, 'What's with all the papers on the table?'

'Piper was sorting out the bills she can pay for now that her club is a success,' said Prue. 'She only stopped to answer the door.'

'Any idea who is at the door, by the way?' Phoebe asked Paige.

'Leo,' said Paige.

'Ohh,' said the entire room, suddenly realising why Piper was taking so long.

Paige glanced at Prue and Andy, wondering whether Andy had brought the topic from the previous evening up with Prue. Andy noticed Paige looking and clued onto what she was thinking.

Andy turned to Prue. 'Prue, there is something I need to speak to you about.'

Prue looked puzzled. 'Is this something other than what you wanted to speak to me about yesterday?'

'I never got around to speaking about what I wanted to speak to you about,' said Andy.

'Yes you did!' said Prue. 'It was about your case!'

Andy shook his head. 'You asked about my refusal to take on a night shift in the same sentence. I decided that was more important to answer. I never got around to the real thing.'

'Should we leave?' Paige whispered to Phoebe.

'Shush, Paige. I want to hear what the thing that he wanted to say was,' whispered Phoebe, staring interestedly at Prue and Andy.

'Andy, what did you want to speak to me about yesterday?' asked Prue seriously.

'Do you remember how I was not transferred to the San Francisco Police Department until last year? Before that I had always worked in Portland,' said Andy.

'I know,' said Prue.

'Well, I have been asked to return to the Portland Police Department temporarily,' said Andy.

Paige had not been expecting to hear that. She had originally thought Andy was going to start moaning about the fake delivery thing.

Prue had gone pale. 'How temporarily? How long?'

'Ten months,' said Andy.

Prue put her cup of coffee down on the kitchen table.

'Did you agree to this?' asked Prue.

'This is why I wanted to speak to you yesterday,' said Andy. 'I have to make my decision by five o'clock today.'

'I cannot leave San Francisco,' said Prue. 'My sisters… The Power of Three… Bucklands…'

'I know,' said Andy. 'That is why I am not forcing you to come with me.'

'You cannot leave,' said Prue.

'Prue, I doubt you would mind. You always hate having me too close to your demon stuff. I doubt there are many demons in Portland. They tend to be near you lot,' said Andy, trying to persuade Prue.

'No. You cannot go, Andy. I don't want to spend that long a time without you. Plus you won't be sa –' Prue stopped there, however Andy had caught on.

'I won't be safe? Prue, what is going on? According to you, I won't be safe near demons, and now I won't be safe far away from demons?' said Andy, annoyed.

Prue sighed. 'What I mean is –'

Andy interrupted her. 'Don't try to justify yourself. Prue, I am a grown man. I don't need the Power of Three to protect me.'

Prue sighed. 'Andy, it is about time that I tell you something.'

Phoebe and Paige exchanged looks. Phoebe's bowl of cereal was empty, so she picked up the cereal box before leaving the kitchen with Paige. Phoebe and Paige bumped into Piper in the foyer. Piper had closed the front door. She frowned when she saw Phoebe eating out of the cereal box.

'Phoebe! We are having lunch soon!' said Piper.

'I don't know how soon that will be,' said Paige. 'The kitchen is sort of off limits right now.'

'What do you mean off limits? I need to finish my paperwork and turn the oven down,' said Piper.

'We think that Prue is telling Andy about the Death issue,' said Phoebe.

Piper nodded in understanding.

'So how did the conversation with Leo go?' asked Phoebe nosily.

'How did you know it was Leo at the door?' asked Piper.

'Sorry,' said Paige. 'My fault for telling her.'

Piper smiled weakly. 'Well, Leo and I ended whatever was left of our relationship. It was never going to work.'

Phoebe and Paige were staring at Piper in disbelief. Phoebe dropped the cereal box to the floor. Piper froze it before the carpet could get littered with pieces of cereal.

'We ended it on good terms,' said Piper.

'Well, I guess that is better than ending it on bad terms and sniping at each other every time he tells us of a new demon in town,' said Phoebe, who had not noticed that she had dropped the cereal box or that it was frozen mid-air.

'Pheebs, your cereal box,' said Paige.

Phoebe looked at her hands. She noticed they were empty and then noticed the frozen box. 'Oh!' She quickly took hold of the box.

'Do you know what changed Prue's mind about telling Andy?' asked Piper, changing the subject.

'Andy may be leaving temporarily to work at another police department in another city,' said Paige.

'How temporarily?' asked Piper.

'Ten months,' said Paige.

'Is Prue going to go with him?' asked Piper.

'I think she is trying to persuade him to stay here,' said Paige.

'If she can't persuade him, will she go with him?' asked Piper.

'I don't know,' said Phoebe. 'They are married, and I think she was more concerned about not seeing him for ten months than about the Death thing.'

Piper's eyes widened in shock. She voiced the thoughts that were racing through everyone's minds: 'We could be losing Prue…'

* * *

**A/N:** I am happy to have gotten through that episode in two chapters. The next episode will start in the following chapter. Will Andy stay? Will Prue even be in the next chapter? Plus a very off topic but still _Charmed_ related question: I am writing a Chris based one-shot for my one-shot series, but I am not sure of adult Chris' age. Was he twenty two? Does anyone know or is it one of those thinks that fans tend to guess?


	15. She'sAMan,Baby,AMan (And The Goodbye)

**Chapter Fifteen: She's a Man, Baby, a Man! (And The Goodbye)**

Prue and Andy had come up with a plan of action, a strategy to make things work. Andy was going to go back to Portland for his temporary placement. Prue was going to move with him. She had explained to her sisters that they still had the Power of Three without her, but she had also added that she would return to San Francisco at the slightest hint of a demon attack – Prue would never let her sisters face a demon alone.

The goodbye between the four sisters had been emotional. Piper was the most reluctant to let Prue leave. Piper had decided to hide Prue's suitcases while Prue had gone back up to her room to double check that she had not left anything behind.

When Prue returned to the foyer to notice that her suitcases were no longer there, she automatically blamed Phoebe.

'Phoebe!' yelled Prue, glaring at her younger sister. 'Give me back my suitcases!'

Phoebe exchanged glances with Piper and Paige. It was obvious that Phoebe was not going to rat Piper out, not only because she did not want to be a tattle tale, but also because Phoebe did not want Prue to leave either.

Therefore Phoebe took a deep breath, putting on a mocking voice, as she said, 'Why would I ever do that, Prue?'

Paige could see tears forming in Phoebe's eyes. It was plain to see that Phoebe really did not want Prue to leave.

'Andy will be back from work any minute,' said Prue. 'I need my suitcases! We are going straight to the airport from here! We cannot be late for our flight!'

Phoebe shrugged. 'That is just like you, Prue, isn't it?' Phoebe's tone was no longer being feigned. The hurt in Phoebe's voice sounded real.

'What do you mean?' asked Prue.

'You! You care more about schedules and numbers than people!' shouted Phoebe.

'What do you mean?' asked Prue, tensing up, crossing her arms.

Phoebe shook her head and stepped away from Prue in frustration. 'You don't get it!'

'Spit it out, Phoebe!' yelled Prue, letting her arms drop to her sides. 'I only have five minutes before Andy gets here! So let's get this over with in thirty seconds so as I can get my suitcases back within two min –' Prue stopped abruptly when she noticed Paige staring at her wide eyed. 'What now?'

'You should hear yourself,' said Paige.

'Excuse me?' said Prue.

'One minute, thirty seconds, late, five minutes… bla bla bla…' mimicked Phoebe.

'I don't sound like that,' said Prue. Prue looked over at Piper, who had not spoken since Prue had come downstairs to find her suitcases missing. 'Do I, Piper? Do I sound like that?'

Piper sighed. 'I think what Phoebe and Paige mean is that you don't seem to care that you are leaving us behind.'

As soon as Piper had uttered the words, she went silent, unable to hold back the tears. Phoebe passed Piper a tissue. Prue's forehead crinkled as distress appeared on her face at the sight of Piper crying.

Prue put an arm on Piper's shoulder to reassure her. 'Piper, I am not going far –'

'Er, I think Portland is quite far,' interrupted Phoebe.

'Says the sister that ditched us for New York,' countered Prue.

'That was before we became witches!' yelled Phoebe.

'Exactly and since we are witches, I can use magic to get back here quickly if the three of you ever need me to help with a demon,' said Prue.

Piper took a step back so Prue had to release her grip on Piper's shoulder. With bloodshot eyes, Piper looked at Prue.

'I don't care about demon attacks. If that is the only thing that would bring you back, I hope they never give us a rest, and keep coming one after the other,' said Piper coldly.

'Piper…' said Prue. 'I never meant it like that. I am not deserting the three of you. I will come back for family dinners, for sisterly chats, for a night out, all those things! You could always visit me!'

'You just don't get it,' said Piper, stepping further away from Prue.

'What don't I get? When Andy and I decided that we would both be going to Portland, I told the three of you straight away. You were unhappy about it, but you knew that it was for the best. You understood that I should go and be with my husband,' said Prue. 'What has changed?'

Piper and Phoebe were both standing the furthest from Prue now. Neither of them replied. They just looked at Prue miserably. Paige was the only one left who had not had her say yet.

'Prue,' said Paige. 'We know that you won't abandon us in the long run, but… You don't seem to understand that you are abandoning us right now, at this very moment in time. It is all very well to promise us that you will come back for family dinners, sisterly chats, for a night out, and even for demon vanquishes, but what about now?'

'What about now?' asked Prue quietly.

'What about now? You are leaving us right now. You are saying goodbye to us right now. You are abandoning us right now. Do you get it yet?' said Paige. 'The reason why we were not acting quite like this when you first told us is because we knew it was right that you go with him – we still know that it is right that you go with him. The only difference between then and now is that back then, you had not left us yet. Right now, you _are_ leaving us.'

Paige had been trying to hold back tears as she spoke, but her voice cracked in despair on the last four words. Paige buried her face in her hands. She felt someone pull her into a hug. Moving her hands away from her face, Paige realised that Prue was hugging her. The hug became tighter as Piper and Phoebe joined it.

While in the hug, Prue began to mutter something under her breath. It sounded like a spell, but Prue's voice was too low to discern the words. After a few more seconds, the sisters separated. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood side by side, facing Prue.

Prue took a deep breath. 'I am not abandoning you. I may be leaving now, but I will be back. Paige, you can orb… if any of you miss me, ring me to let me know and we will meet up, I promise. Phoebe, you know what it is like to be the one leaving… You know that it can be heart breaking, that it can be scary, but you also know that it can be a good thing. Piper, we have never lived apart… When we moved out of the manor originally, we rented out an apartment together while you were working at the bank and I was working at the museum… When I got engaged to Roger, I expected to live apart from you for the first time, but I postponed moving out of the apartment, because… I don't know why… I just did… And then with Grams becoming ill, the two of us ended up moving back into the manor anyway… Piper –'

'We are adults, I know. It's not that, Prue. If you were living down the street, a few blocks away, or even on the other side of San Francisco, I would not mind, but…' Piper paused to think about what she was going to say.

'Portland is far away,' said Prue, finishing the sentence for Piper.

There was a short silence. The silence was broken by the front door opening behind them. Andy walked in.

'Are you ready to g –' Andy stopped. 'Am I interrupting an emotional goodbye?'

Piper feigned a smile. 'Of course not.' She sniffed, and tried to wipe any tears from her eyes. 'We had just finished saying goodbye to Prue.'

'Okay. I thought I would put Prue's suitcases in the taxi that is waiting,' said Andy.

Prue sighed. 'Well, I don't kn –'

'You passed her suitcases on the driveway,' said Piper.

'I did?' said Andy, puzzled.

'Open the bins,' said Paige, who had helped Piper hide them.

Andy furrowed his brow. 'I won't ask why they are there.' He closed the door behind him as he went back outside to retrieve the suitcases.

'I thought Phoebe hid them…' said Prue, surprised that Piper and Paige had knowledge of her suitcases' whereabouts while Phoebe had not said anything.

'You thought wrong,' said Piper.

'Phoebe, I am sorry,' said Prue.

Phoebe smiled weakly. 'The last thing I get to hear you say before you leave is an apology? Are you trying to taint my memories of you? My memories of you will not be of the proud sister, Prue Halliwell, but of someone humble and modest?'

Prue laughed. 'Stay out of trouble, Phoebe.'

Phoebe's smile grew into a grin. 'Prue, when was I last in trouble?'

'I think it's best not to answer that one,' said Prue. Prue turned to Paige. 'Paige, try not to solely rely on magic.'

'In other words, get a job and a life,' laughed Paige.

'I would never put it that harshly,' said Prue. Prue turned to Piper. 'Piper, toughen up. I know you have it in you.'

Piper smiled. 'Is that the best advice you have to offer?'

Prue rolled her eyes and smiled. 'I could judge the three of you more harshly if you want.'

Andy walked back into the foyer.

'Are you ready to go?' Andy asked Prue.

Prue looked to her sisters. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige nodded at her. In turn, Prue nodded at Andy.

'I am,' said Prue.

'Great,' said Andy. He then turned to the other three. 'Piper, Phoebe, Paige. I will miss you.'

'We will miss you too, Andy,' said Piper on behalf of the three of them. 'Look after Prue for us.'

Andy laughed. 'I doubt she will let me do that.'

'You are right,' said Phoebe. 'Prue will be looking after you.'

'Good luck with coping with Prue,' added Paige.

Prue and Andy laughed. They held hands, bade goodbye again, and walked out of the front door. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige crowded around the front door as they watched Prue and Andy get in the car.

'I think Paige will miss the only proof of her success story from when she wouldn't stop playing cupid,' joked Piper, as they watched the car drive off.

'You are partially right about that,' said Paige, perking up. 'I need a new focus!'

Piper's eyes widened in mock fear. 'Keep that focus away from my love life!'

Paige laughed. 'That's not what I meant by focus. I meant as in what Prue said… I need to figure out what I want to do with my life.'

Piper took a deep breath, relieved.

Phoebe shut the front door and leaned up against it. Her expression looked like she was contemplating whether or not to say something. Piper and Paige had noticed this. They exchanged glances.

Piper decided to go first. 'Is everything okay, Pheebs?'

Phoebe suddenly looked at Piper and realised that her strange behaviour over the last few seconds had been noticed.

'I don't know…' said Phoebe quietly, still contemplating whether to say something or not.

'Pheebs, tell us what's wrong,' said Paige.

'Prue has not even been gone for two seconds,' said Phoebe. 'I cannot be saying there is something wrong already.'

Piper frowned. 'Did you get a premonition when you shut the door just now? Are there demons on their way here?'

Phoebe shook her head, looking down at her feet.

'Phoebe, what is it?' asked Paige.

Phoebe sighed. 'I keep having these… dreams.'

Then Phoebe explained to her sisters about the dreams she had been having where she would meet a guy, get close to him, and end up killing him at the end. Each night the guy in the dream had been different. What was more perturbing was that she could not keep her body temperature down during the days. Piper told Phoebe not to worry about it, but Paige shook her head.

'Piper, can you go and get the Book down?' asked Paige.

Piper frowned. 'Why? Phoebe is fine. She is just having you-know-what type dreams. It is normal when you haven't… you know… for a while.'

Paige coughed, slightly unsettled by the subject content of what Piper was getting at. 'Piper, just get the Book.'

Piper ran upstairs to get the Book. Phoebe and Paige walked into the living room and sat down.

'Wow, Paige. Are you trying to take up the role of head witch already? Not even two seconds after Prue has left,' laughed Phoebe.

'Huh? What do you mean? Doesn't Piper get that role? I thought it goes to the next eldest,' said Paige.

'You don't seem to be acting that way,' said Phoebe.

Piper sat down beside them, when she returned, giving Paige the Book of Shadows. Paige opened the Book and soon came across what she had been looking for.

'The Succubus?' said Phoebe, who had been looking over Paige's shoulder.

Paige nodded. 'Basically a cold hearted witch that feeds off the testosterone of powerful men, and eventually killing the man.'

'Oh! That is what I am turning into, isn't it?' said Phoebe.

'Why would you say that?' asked Paige.

'Pheebs, you are not turning into one of them,' Piper reassured her.

'As soon as I told you my symptoms, Paige, you knew what you were looking for,' said Phoebe. 'You knew what you needed to find. You know that is what I am about to become.'

Paige rolled her eyes. 'I only made the connection between the MO of the men's deaths in your dreams to the MO of the Succubus. Why would you be turning into one?'

'Why else would I be seeing all of that?' asked Phoebe.

'We don't even know if these dreams are real,' said Piper. 'You are making up demonic peril out of thin air!'

Paige sighed. 'Good point. These are all just assumptions. Phoebe, your dreams are probably just dreams. Nothing more, nothing less.'

'Unless we get proof that these deaths are real, there is no point worrying,' said Piper. 'Prue was right that you need to try and separate your life from magic, Paige.'

Paige smiled. 'Sorry. I will when I get a chance.'

Piper stood up. 'Okay. There is no Succubus. We are fine. I need to go and get _P3_ set up for later. Phoebe, relax and maybe see a doctor about your temperature problem. Paige, get out of the house: Do something with your day.'

Phoebe and Paige nodded. Leaving the Book open to the Succubus page on the coffee table, the three of them wandered into the foyer. Piper put her hand onto the door handle to open the front door, but stopped when someone knocked.

'Do you think Prue forgot something?' Paige asked.

'We are talking about Prue here. She would never forget something,' said Phoebe.

There was another knock at the door. Whoever it was must have been anxious to get in. Piper opened the door, ready to freeze the visitor if they seemed suspicious.

'Oh,' said Piper, as she recognised the visitor.

'Can I come in?' It was Darryl, Andy's ex work partner.

'Sure,' said Piper. 'You just missed Andy. He and Prue left around ten minutes ago.'

'I was hoping they were still here. I saw Prue's car in the driveway,' said Darryl.

'Oh. Prue left her car here for us to use. They took a taxi to the airport,' explained Phoebe.

'Sorry, you missed them,' said Piper, trying to hurry Darryl up, as she did not want to be late to _P3_.

Darryl frowned. 'I was hoping to speak to either one of them.'

'About what?' asked Paige.

Darryl sighed, probably wondering whether or not to tell them.

'Look,' Darryl finally said. 'You know that I know your secret. Andy and I have staid on top of cases that we believe to be supernatural. I was hoping to talk to Andy or Prue about my latest case. Andy may not be my colleague for the next ten months, but we are still best friends.'

'I understand why you would want to speak to Andy, but why to Prue and not to us?' asked Piper.

'I knew Prue the best out of you four, because she is my best friend's wife,' said Darryl.

Piper nodded. 'To you, we are just your best friend's wife's sisters.'

'Isn't it easier to say we are Darryl's best friend's sisters-in-law?' quipped Phoebe.

'I think we have sidetracked,' said Paige. 'Darryl, what do you want?'

'Four men have been killed over the past four nights,' said Darryl. 'The murders will probably continue, but I have no sus –' Darryl stopped, noticing the worried looks that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were exhibiting. 'Do you know something?'

'Is that enough proof for you, Piper?' said Phoebe, running back into the living room.

Paige ran after her, leaving Piper to talk to Darryl alone.

Phoebe was sitting on the sofa, rereading the Succubus entry in the Book of Shadows. Paige sat down next to her.

'Phoebe, you are not the Succubus,' said Paige. 'There is probably one in town and your visions connect you to it.'

'I am still living through their torment though,' said Phoebe, disgusted. 'Every night that the Succubus kills, I watch, I feel what she feels… It's wrong. It's disgusting.'

'We will stop her,' said Paige.

'There is a spell to attract her and a spell to destroy her with fire,' said Phoebe, pointing at the Book. 'We have to do this before she kills again.'

Paige nodded in agreement.

The front door closed. Piper walked into the living room and sat down next to Phoebe and Paige.

'Looks like we have a demon attack on our hands _already_,' said Piper.

'We have a spell to attract her and to vanquish her,' said Phoebe.

'We know where she chooses her victims,' said Piper.

'Do we?' asked Paige.

Piper nodded. 'A dating agency: Fine Romance. Thank Darryl for that information.'

'I will,' said Paige.

'The question is: Do we phone Prue to tell her?' proposed Piper.

Phoebe shook her head. 'We can deal with this ourselves. We have the Power of Three without her. We are fine. Not that we even need the Power of Three for this.'

'Then let's get over to the dating agency,' said Paige, standing up. 'Have a snoop around.'

'Shouldn't we use the attraction spell?' asked Phoebe, standing up too.

Paige shook her head. 'Trust me. You don't want to.'

'Why?' asked Piper, also standing up.

'I will explain later,' said Paige. 'For now, let's go.'

Phoebe ran to the living room entrance. 'Dibs on driving Prue's car!'

'We don't need to take Prue's car. We have mine,' said Piper.

Phoebe looked disheartened.

The three sisters left the manor, almost feeling like they were missing someone in their demon hunting group.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't particularly like the canon version of this episode, so please review with your opinions on the changes I have made to it and the contents of this chapter. They are a good motivator to continue with an episode like this one.


	16. She'sAMan,Baby,AMan (And The Ex BF List)

**A/N:** I admit that originally the Paige jumping to the Succubus conclusion was lazy writing on my behalf because I really don't like this episode so wanted to rush through it. However, I have added an explanation into this chapter regarding a reason why she figured it out so fast. Also, I apologise in advance to any Dan fans reading this, because the next two chapters... I won't add to that - read it and you will see.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: She's a Man, Baby, a Man! (And The Ex Boyfriend List)**

As Piper parked outside the building that housed the dating agency, Paige said, 'This place sure looks like that social work firm on Fifth Avenue.'

Phoebe, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around to Paige. 'The place we used to work was not on Fifth Avenue.'

'I know,' said Paige. 'I was on about another social work firm: South Bay Social Services.'

'Why would you know so much about that place?' asked Phoebe. Then Phoebe smiled and added, 'Are you thinking about getting a job there?'

'I have no official qualifications,' said Paige. 'However they have an opening for a trainee social worker – no experience required – and I was wondering whether or not to go for it.'

Piper turned around in her seat to look at Paige. 'Is it something that you want to do, or something that you feel you have to do?'

'I feel like it would be a way for me to help people, outside of magic,' said Paige. 'In other words, it is something that I want to do. The fact that I will be earning wages from it is only a bonus.'

'Then I say go for it,' said Piper, smiling.

'I filled out the application and have my resume ready. I just need to find some time to hand it in, I guess,' said Paige. 'The deadline for it is next week, but I doubt that I would be lucky enough to be considered for it.'

'Paige, they will consider you. Have faith in yourself,' said Piper.

Simultaneously, the three sisters opened their respective car door and got out of the car. They entered the building which was full of men and women mingling.

'Phoebe, you may as well mingle with the crowd. See if you can figure out her next victim by premonition,' whispered Piper.

Phoebe nodded, disappearing into the crowd. Piper and Paige decided to go to the desk to get information on the place. A woman stood at the desk and smiled at them as they approached.

'Welcome to Fine Romance. I am Darla. How can I help you?' asked the woman named Darla.

'We were wondering how this all works,' said Piper.

'You sign up for the amazing cost of only $3500, we shoot a video of you answering questions about yourself, your video is added to our library. Our employees provide you with videos of prospective matches. It is all your choice from there,' said Darla, smiling. 'We even set it up so as people who have found potential matches can meet up in a safe crowded environment like this.'

Piper smiled, nodded, and froze the room.

'Piper!' came the shout from across the room where Phoebe was. Phoebe ran over and joined her sisters. 'I was talking to a guy! Unfreeze the room!'

'Why did you freeze the room?' asked Paige.

'Well, I needed to talk over a plan,' said Piper. 'I am not good with this. I don't usually have the responsibility over how to tackle the demon. Prue normally does. I mean, how does what Darla has told us help us?'

'Well we know that the demon had enough money to pay for membership,' joked Paige.

Piper sighed, throwing her hands around in aggravation. 'I am terrible at this lead witch stuff.'

'I told you the title automatically passes to the next eldest,' Paige whispered to Phoebe.

'Piper, you will be fine. We are a team, we are in this together, okay?' said Phoebe, and Paige nodded in agreement to back her up.

'Get back over there, Pheebs. I will unfreeze the room, and we will try and snoop around some more,' said Piper.

'Hang on,' said Paige. One of the video files on the shelf behind the woman had caught Paige's eye. Paige stepped behind the desk and passed Piper the video. 'Do you recognise that name?'

'Dan Gordon? Neighbour Dan?' said Piper, looking at the video file title.

'We have got to watch that,' said Phoebe, grinning. 'Maybe he is your perfect guy, Piper. Leo is out of the picture, so why don't you go for the handyman next door?'

'Dan is good looking, he is nice, and really good looking, but…' said Piper, blushing. 'I don't think I am interested in him like that…'

'There is no harm in watching it,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe joined Paige behind the desk to look at the other video files.

'Paige, what did you say your future husband's name was?' asked Phoebe.

Paige frowned. 'I never said he was my husband, besides he may not even have existed.'

'He may exist,' said Phoebe. 'He may be one of the guys who made a video.'

'What are the chances of that?' scoffed Paige. When she saw Phoebe's so-what-it's-fun-to-see-if-we-can-find-him-anyway look, Paige added, 'His first name was Henry.'

Phoebe turned around and started dropping any video file that had the first name Henry on into Paige's hands. Phoebe spoke each name as she gave Paige them, 'Henry Abbot, Henry Allen, Henry Dean, Henry Evett, Henry Hall, Henry Mit –'

'My freeze won't last forever!' Piper interrupted, noting that the room had already been frozen for over five minutes and could unfreeze at any moment.

'Right, sorry,' said Phoebe. 'You guys go and find somewhere to watch these. I will rejoin the crowd and go back to chatting with that guy.'

* * *

A few hours later, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were re-entering the manor.

'I cannot believe I am going to end up killing Owen!' squealed Phoebe in terror.

'Are we really back to you thinking that you are the Succubus?' asked Piper in disbelief. 'Pheebs, you are one of us.'

'Yeah, you just have some sort of psychic connection to it,' said Paige. 'That is the only reason you had a premonition of the Succubus going after Owen too. She must have been at the dating agency too. She must have seen him there. He would have been the next target whether you had met him or not.'

Piper picked up the Book which was sitting on the coffee table still.

'We need to cast the spell to attract the Succubus, so as it will not go after Owen or any other guy,' said Piper.

'No!' said Paige.

Piper and Phoebe looked at Paige.

'You want the Succubus to go after Owen?' said Phoebe incredulously.

'Of course not,' said Paige. 'I also know that none of us want to recite that attraction spell.'

'Why not?' asked Piper.

Paige hesitated. 'I know what that spell does. There are two spells that should never be used. One is the Banshee tracking spell. You may as well buy a dog, rather than cast that spell, because it will only turn you into one. The other is the Succubus attraction spell…'

'It turns you into a dog?' said Phoebe.

Paige shook her head. 'I had not finished. The Banshee one was just an example. The Succubus one turns the spell caster into a… actually, I guess it does not matter if they already are one…'

'Into what?' asked Phoebe, annoyed that Paige had trailed off.

'A dude, a man, a guy, a male…' said Paige.

Piper and Phoebe's eyes widened in shock.

'Thanks for the warning,' said Piper. Piper narrowed her eyes and added, 'How _do_ you know so much about all of this?'

Paige shrugged. 'The Banshee and Succubus spells are common knowledge in the magical community.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'That part makes sense, but how were you able to jump to the conclusion that there was a Succubus in town and that I was psychically connected to it so fast?'

Paige blushed. 'Er… You see, Prue was extremely spot on this morning when she told me that I need to try and separate my life from magic.'

'Paige, what did you do?' asked Piper.

'Four nights ago I was scrying for evil in the local area. The crystal dropped on a motel at the other end of San Francisco. I orbed there and stumbled across the police crime scene where the first man had been discovered…' Paige shivered as she finished recounting it.

'Paige, why didn't you tell us?' asked Phoebe.

'I did not know what the demon was. That night I went hunting for the demon because I decided they could not have gone far if the crystal had told me they were still there,' said Paige. 'The same thing happened over the next three nights. Not until you mentioned your dreams this morning did I make the connection and realise what the demon could be.'

'What made you so sure I was not the Succubus?' asked Phoebe.

'The scrying crystal would have landed on the manor or on _P3_ each night when I was scrying if it had been you,' explained Paige. 'The only other explanation was your premonitions.'

'Why did you not tell us that you were demon hunting by yourself?' asked Piper, slightly annoyed.

Paige shrugged. 'Everyone was so busy helping Prue and Andy get ready to leave. I didn't want to ruin Prue's departure with demonic news.'

Piper sighed. 'Prue is right. You do need to separate your life from magic. Make sure to hand that application in _before_ the deadline.'

Paige nodded.

'Anyway, if we don't want to cast that attraction spell, what do you suggest we do?' asked Piper.

'I suggest we find a male friend that is single and use them as bait to lure the Succubus. That way, we will be on our guard the whole time,' said Paige. 'We won't let the Succubus take them… We will just use the guy to find out who the Succubus is…'

'As long as we make sure that the friend we use does not get hurt,' said Phoebe. 'Who are you implying? I mean, they have to be single… Who do we know that would be willing to help?'

'Darryl?' suggested Paige.

'I think he is married,' said Piper. 'Plus I don't think he would be willing to help.'

'How about your ex, Wilson?' Phoebe asked Paige.

'I have not spoken to him in a while. He might still be in the under world,' said Paige. 'How about we drag Clay into this? We don't have to expose the magical details to him, and we can make sure he remembers nothing after.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'I have no idea where Clay is. How about Leo?'

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'Would a Succubus care about someone that is technically dead?'

'Apparently you cared about someone who is technically dead,' laughed Phoebe.

Piper made a face. 'Leo is… alive… technically… Ugh! Don't put it like that, Phoebe!'

Paige coughed, trying to bring the subject back around to the main point. 'So who else do we know that is a guy and single?'

There was a knock at the door. The three sisters walked into the foyer. Piper opened it.

'Neighbour Dan,' said Phoebe quietly, almost as a delayed answer to Paige's question, when she saw who stood on the porch.

'Hi Dan,' said Piper. 'What brings you here?'

'Hi. My freezer broke. Do you have any ice I could borrow? Sorry about this,' asked Dan.

'Oh no, it's fine,' said Piper. 'San Francisco is in the middle of a heat wave after all. Everyone needs ice. Phoebe, can you get some ice for Dan?'

Phoebe headed for the kitchen.

'Dan, we were wondering, are you single?' asked Paige bluntly.

Piper's cheeks went rosy in embarrassment at Paige's directness. Paige saw the embarrassed look on Piper's face. Piper's embarrassed look only increased when Paige added, 'Oh don't worry. I am not asking for me.'

'Yes…' said Dan. He glanced at Piper as he also blushed a little.

A crash of ice being dropped to the floor in the kitchen resonated through the manor.

'I will go and see what happened!' said Piper, fleeing the foyer.

When Piper was out of earshot, Dan asked Paige, 'Do you, er, know if Piper is, er, seeing anyone?'

'I am sure Piper would like you to come to along to _P3_ tonight,' said Paige, smiling, not answering his question. 'Wear something nice.'

Dan looked embarrassed and almost shy at Paige's directness. He tried to recompose himself as Piper returned to the foyer with Phoebe.

'Here is your ice,' said Piper, producing a slightly crushed up pack of ice.

'Thanks,' said Dan, taking it. 'See you tonight.'

Dan walked off before Piper could question his words.

'See me tonight? See me tonight? Paige, what did you do?' asked Piper.

Paige shut the front door.

Turning back to Piper, Paige said, 'I put our plan in action. Dan will be at _P3_ tonight. What we need to spend the rest of the day doing is making sure that the Succubus decides to go for Dan instead of Owen, because we know where Dan will be.'

Piper nodded. 'As long as you were not playing cupid, and trying to set me up with Dan.'

'Don't worry. I wasn't doing that. Even though you did like his dating agency video,' said Paige. 'So what happened in the kitchen?'

'I had a psychic flash. The Succubus is pregnant,' said Phoebe, gulping.

'We need to vanquish her tonight,' said Paige resolutely.

'We should have vanquished her four nights ago,' Phoebe muttered, purposefully making Paige feel guilty for not telling them.

'How do we make the Succubus notice Dan?' asked Piper.

'You don't, Piper,' said Phoebe. 'You need to go and set up your club. Paige and I will deal with that part of the plan.'

Piper was about to argue but she stopped. 'Okay. I will see you two and Dan at the club later.'

Phoebe and Paige nodded. Piper left.

'How are we going to do this?' Phoebe asked Paige.

Paige blushed. 'The only thing coming to mind is that you use the psychic link to your advantage.'

Phoebe looked confused, wondering what Paige was referring to. However, her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment when she realised what Paige had been implying.

'No! No! That is weird!' said Phoebe.

'Relax, you don't have to do anything,' said Paige.

Phoebe sighed. 'You are asking me to hit on Dan. To flirt with him.'

'And what is so wrong with that?' asked Paige. 'You were fine flirting with him the day we met him.'

'You have seen the way he pines over Piper,' said Phoebe.

'Piper says she is not interested in him,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but we both know that she might be lying about that,' Phoebe sighed. 'I don't feel right flirting with someone that Piper likes.'

'You were fine flirting with Leo last year,' said Paige, grimacing at the memory.

'That… Okay, that was not different to this, but I have become more mature since then,' said Phoebe.

Paige laughed. 'Phoebe, this is the only way for our plan to work. Go and flirt with Dan.'

Phoebe looked at Paige. 'This is the most embarrassing thing I have ever done in my life.'

'Would you rather that you had said the spell and been turned into a man?' asked Paige.

With those words, Phoebe regained her composure and said, 'See you later! I am off next door!'

Paige shut the door behind Phoebe, totally embarrassed at having to ask her sister to flirt with the attractive next door neighbour.

Leaning up against the closed front door, Paige slumped into a sitting position on the ground. She had decided against watching any of the Henry videos that Phoebe had given her. If the guy from her future did exist, Paige wanted to meet him naturally, not via a dating agency. Then there was the fact that Derek plagued her mind every time she tried to think about… well, about anything. What he was doing there, she did not know. He was annoying, he was callous, he was evil – but, wait, was he evil? He could touch the Book. The Book did not think he was evil…

Paige was not too sure how long she had been sitting, leaning up against the door, pondering things. She looked at her watch. It was getting close to eight in the evening now. Prue had left at ten thirty am. Phoebe had brought forward the demonic possibilities at ten thirty one am. Darryl had brought the evidence of the Succubus' existence at eleven am. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had gone to the dating agency around noon. They had returned to the manor around four pm. Piper had left for _P3_ at around six pm. Phoebe had left to flirt with Dan at half six. So Paige had been sitting there, thinking, for a little over an hour and a half. It had been nine and a half hours since Prue had left with Andy. It felt like a lot longer than that. Paige wondered whether Prue's plane had landed yet. She wondered whether Prue and Andy were in their new home yet.

Paige felt something hit her head. Then she realised that someone had tried opening the front door. Paige stood up and the door opened as Phoebe came in.

'Are you okay?' Phoebe asked.

'Yeah, I just drifted into my thoughts,' said Paige.

'Sitting by the door?' said Phoebe.

Paige shrugged. 'How was Dan?'

'Nothing happened,' said Phoebe, blushing. 'I chatted and got to know him better.'

'Do you know if that was enough to send the Succubus his way?' asked Paige.

'According to the premonition I received two minutes ago: Yes,' said Phoebe.

'Okay,' said Paige.

The phone suddenly rang. Phoebe approached it and picked it up.

'Hello?' After a pause, Phoebe said, 'Hang on, Paige is here too. I will put you on speaker phone.'

Phoebe pressed a few buttons on the handset and put the receiver down. Paige expected the voice to be Piper's, but it wasn't.

'Hi.' It was Prue's voice.

'Hey Prue!' said Paige. 'How was the flight?'

'The flight was normal: Disgusting food, terrible seats, you know, that sort of stuff. We got to the house an hour ago,' said Prue. 'Moving in is hectic. I thought I had better phone though. Piper would kill me for not letting you guys know I am here.'

'Missing San Francisco yet?' said Phoebe.

'Nah. The heat wave in San Francisco was a bit much. I am glad that it is cooler here in Portland, with the good old sea breeze,' said Prue. After a pause, Prue added, 'No demon attacks yet?'

Phoebe and Paige exchanged silent looks.

'Why would you think there had been any?' Phoebe asked slowly.

They heard Prue's laugh via the phone. 'You know our luck with demons. They never respect our schedules. So everything is fine? You don't need my help with anything?'

'Of course not, Prue!' said Paige, so happy that Prue could not see either of their expressions which would have given them away.

'Okay. Well, tell Piper I phoned. Andy just called for me from upstairs. I better see what he wants. Bye!' said Prue.

'Bye!' chorused Phoebe and Paige.

The line went dead.

'It's strange that she is not here,' said Phoebe.

'Yeah,' agreed Paige.

Phoebe and Paige separated to go and get ready for their evening at _P3_. They may have been going there for the intentions of a demon vanquish, but they still wanted to look presentable for the pre and post demon vanquishing parts of the evening.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Phoebe and Paige re-congregated in the foyer. They were ready to go. They needed no potions. They knew that all they needed was to start a fire to vanquish the Succubus. That would be simple enough, they hoped.

The foyer was quite dim. Therefore Phoebe and Paige had to shield their eyes when the foyer filled with a glow of blue and white orbs. The blue and white orbs coalesced into two people. The first they had expected when the orbs had begun to form: Leo. However the second person was a total surprise and she did not look happy.

'Did this demon just happen to manifest itself after our phone call?' she said in an annoyed tone as she stood glaring at them.

Phoebe and Paige looked from Leo to the woman, shocked that Leo had gone to her about it before coming to them. Standing next to Leo was none other than Prue Halliwell.

* * *

**A/N: **My subplot for the episode is the only part that I like about this - hence I like how I ended this chapter - which is all about the change in dynamics between the sisters with Prue's leaving the manor.


	17. She'sAMan,Baby,AMan (And Random Guy)

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! As to the review about Piper being out of character. There may be two reasons leading to that - Number one: It does not help that I am watching episodes ranging from seasons four to eight while writing a fan fiction that is based in season two. Number two: Due to Prue moving out, I am trying to make Piper make that change in her personality that is evident in the actual show. Except this is only season two and Prue has not died (_yet_ (- I only add that one word because I have not decided what's happening season three episode twenty two yet and that is extremely far away right now so there is no point thinking about it)). If anyone thinks any of the characters are acting out of character, could you please elaborate on it, so as I can figure out where I am going wrong.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: She's a Man, Baby, a Man! (And Random Guy)**

Leo wandered into the kitchen to leave Prue alone in the foyer with her two youngest sisters. Prue was looking from Phoebe to Paige waiting for some sort of response.

'Prue, look, we are sorry that we did not tell you about the Succubus, but we knew that we could handle it by ourselves,' explained Phoebe.

'You also knew that I wanted you to keep me informed about this sort of thing,' said Prue angrily.

'Yes, but you also want to be able to spend some time with Andy,' said Paige. 'We did not want to ruin your official moving in day with Andy.'

Prue sighed. 'As I said earlier on the phone, I know that demons never respect our schedules. Besides, I am still a Charmed One _and_ your sister. Don't expect me to ever let you go after demons by yourselves.'

'Does that mean you are going to come to _P3_ with us tonight?' asked Phoebe, trying to direct the conversation into a less blameful tone.

Prue raised an eyebrow. 'Is this social or witchy business?'

'It is hopefully the final scene of our battle with the demon,' said Paige.

Prue let out a small laugh. 'Seems like _P3_ is the final scene of all our battles ever since Piper opened it. So fill me in on the plan.'

'Pheebs, you do that. I need to speak to Leo,' said Paige.

Paige walked into the kitchen where she found Leo leaning against the counter.

'What happened?' Paige asked Leo.

Paige did not need to elaborate. Leo understood what she meant.

'The Elders informed me that there was a Succubus loose in San Francisco. They also informed me that one of the Charmed Ones was absent from San Francisco,' began Leo.

'They were not happy that Prue has moved?' said Paige.

'Of course not. They don't know that you are their sister, and that you can reconstitute the Power of Three in a sister's absence. They told me to orb Prue to San Francisco. They also told me that it is not their job to do my job, as in the fact that I should be more observant,' said Leo.

'Hang on. How about me? They think that I am only here as a trainee white lighter,' said Paige.

'Yeah. They believed that you might have wanted to try and handle this on your own, which is why they suspect you did not let me know that Prue was moving,' said Leo. Leo frowned as he said the last part. 'Paige, I am their white lighter. You are my adopted daughter. You could have told me that Prue was moving out. I looked like a fool when I heard it second hand from the Elders.'

'I am sorry. It never crossed my mind to tell you,' said Paige guiltily. 'I hardly see you these days.'

Leo nodded, looking away from Paige. He looked out of the window over the sink.

'Did the, er, Elders ever answer you about the possibility of dark lighters losing their powers?' asked Paige.

Leo did not turn around to face Paige. He continued looking through the window, even though it was impossible to see anything outside as it was night and the kitchen light was on.

'I asked the Elders about that. They said that they had never heard of such a thing happening. They even told me that it was impossible,' said Leo.

'We know it is possible,' said Paige.

'I know,' said Leo. 'The Elders do not dare to believe it.'

'Typical them,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but…' said Leo. 'I think I figured it out.'

'You have?' said Paige.

Leo turned around to face Paige. He sat on the edge of the sink.

'His powers are triggered by the complete opposite of a white lighter's powers: Hate and anger trigger his powers. Therefore, only the opposite of those triggers could quench his powers,' said Leo. 'Think about it, Paige. Their Touch of Death power is triggered by hate. The opposite power to that is a white lighter's healing touch, and you know what that is triggered by…'

'You cannot be trying to tell me that he… He cannot though… Dark lighters – or evil in general – has no concept of it,' said Paige.

Leo jumped down from the sink, standing on his feet.

'Paige, all that I can say is that he feels that way. If you feel that way back, all I can say is that I won't condone it,' said Leo seriously.

'I don't!' said Paige. 'There's nothing to forbid, because I don't feel that way about him!'

'Good,' said Leo gravely. 'I cannot stay to help with the Succubus thing, because I have other charges to help. Get Prue up to date on everything and then vanquish that demon.'

Paige nodded as Leo orbed out. Paige slumped against the kitchen counter that Leo had previously been sitting on. Leo's words were ringing through her head. Was his assumption right? Did Derek..?

Paige's thoughts were interrupted. Prue and Phoebe had entered the kitchen.

'I am up to date and ready to vanquish this demon,' said Prue.

'We just saw Dan's car leave, so we need to get going,' said Phoebe.

'Okay,' said Paige.

'Where did you guys put my car keys?' Prue asked.

Phoebe frowned, passing Prue her car keys. 'Will I ever get the chance to drive your car?'

'Fortunately for me, not today, you won't,' said Prue, smiling.

* * *

Once they got to _P3_, Prue, Phoebe, and Paige ran straight to the bar to find Piper. While Phoebe and Paige were dressed up for _P3_, Prue was only wearing a cosy jumper and jeans as she had not expected her day to end at Piper's club.

Phoebe managed to reach Piper first. Prue and Paige saw Piper point Phoebe in another direction. Phoebe began to run that way. Instead of following Phoebe in the direction that would probably lead to Dan, Prue and Paige stopped at the bar. Seeing Prue, Piper dropped the glass she had been polishing. With a gesture of Prue's hand, the glass floated safely onto the bar surface.

'Prue? How? What? When?' said Piper.

Prue smirked. 'Piper, it has only been twelve hours since I left the house. It is not like you are seeing a ghost.'

'Yes, but I don't understand why you are back so soon,' said Piper, finally managing a full sentence. Then she added, 'I mean, obviously, I am happy to see you.'

Prue smiled. 'Yeah, well, thank our white lighter for that. He decided that I had to know about the demon attacks in San Francisco.'

'Actually, it was his bosses that were angry about it,' said Paige. She added as a joke, 'Looks like we could not get rid of you after all.'

Prue laughed. 'Yeah. You sure wanted to steal my place in the Power of Three permanently, Paige.'

'Rats!' said Paige, mimicking a villain that had just had their plans ruined.

'We should go and keep our eye on Dan from afar,' said Prue, returning to her usual serious demeanour when it came to demon hunting.

'Wait!' said Piper.

Prue and Paige looked around at Piper.

'Darryl told me earlier that he does not want this to be another incomplete case,' began Piper.

'Darryl goes to you for case help now?' said Prue.

'He was hoping to find you or Andy, actually, but he was too late,' said Piper. 'Anyway, Darryl said this cannot turn into an unexplained case.'

Paige sighed. 'I think it is more important that we vanquish the Succubus than coming up with a cover story for Darryl.'

'I feel bad for Darryl, but what can we do? We cannot let him take the Succubus to jail. People will die. We have to vanquish it,' said Prue.

Piper nodded. 'I just thought I would mention it just in case we see some loophole along the way.'

* * *

Prue and Paige split up into the crowd while Piper remained at the bar. As Paige wandered around, she exchanged glances with Phoebe, who was sitting at a table, talking to a random guy – obviously Dan was within her sight. Paige looked around, but could not see Dan anywhere. Paige ran over to the table where Phoebe sat. The random guy looked up at her.

'Er, excuse me, but we were talking,' said the random guy.

'Er, excuse us for a second,' Paige said to the random guy as she dragged Phoebe away. 'Phoebe! Where is Dan?'

'Oh, I was keeping my eye on him before. He is right over…' Phoebe paused to look around. 'He was over there before!'

Paige groaned. 'You lost him?'

'I am sorry. That random guy started talking to me,' said Phoebe.

'You don't even know his name?' said Paige, raising an eyebrow.

'We had not gotten that far into the conversation yet,' said Phoebe, slightly embarrassed.

'Really? Most people start with the names,' said Paige.

'Let's stop chatting and start looking for Dan,' said Phoebe, changing the subject.

'You are not even going to say goodbye to 'random guy'?' teased Paige.

Phoebe and Paige ran over to the bar where they found Piper.

'Is everything okay?' Piper asked.

Phoebe shook her head. 'We lost Dan.'

'_We_? I think you were the one who lost him,' said Paige.

'Well, we have to find him! We cannot put our neighbour in actual danger!' shouted Piper hysterically.

'I know. I know,' said Phoebe, starting to sound guilty.

Piper suddenly looked behind Phoebe and Paige. Paige turned around to see Prue approaching them with Dan in tow.

As they reached the bar, Prue said, 'I think Dan here deserves a free drink, preferably non-alcoholic. He is driving home any minute now.'

Dan looked a little shaken, a little confused. 'What just happened?'

'Don't worry, Dan,' said Prue. 'It's all over now.'

Dan blinked at Prue when he realised who had been directing him back to the bar. 'I thought you had moved away.'

'Yes,' said Prue.

'You moved this morning,' said Dan.

'Yes,' confirmed Prue.

'Then how are you here?' asked Dan.

Piper passed Dan a non-alcoholic drink and Dan drank it down in a couple of gulps.

'Dan, don't worry. Just go home. Sleep off the shock,' said Prue.

Dan nodded. After saying goodbye to the four sisters, Dan left. Prue sat down on a bar stool. Phoebe and Paige mimicked her action, each taking a seat on a bar stool.

'So what happened?' Piper asked.

'Well, the good news is that Darryl's case is complete without any loose ends. The bad news is that we still have a demon to vanquish,' said Prue.

'What happened?' Phoebe repeated on behalf of Piper.

'Well, I suppose Dan thinks I am some sort of spy or undercover cop now,' said Prue.

'What happened?' Paige reiterated on behalf of Piper and Phoebe.

Prue smiled, happy to have built up the suspense so much that all three of her sisters were listening intently.

'I saw Dan go into alley via the back door with a woman. I decided to follow –'

'You were supposed to get us if that happened,' interrupted Paige, frowning.

'Yeah, but there was not enough time for that. If I had not gone straight out there, Dan would have been a goner,' said Prue proudly.

'Yeah yeah yeah. We get it: You have a big ego,' said Phoebe. 'Now tell us what happened.'

Prue smiled. She had never seen the ego comment as an insult.

'Before the Succubus could do anything, I used my telekinesis to throw her against the wall. Dan was in some sort of trance so I don't think he noticed what I did. The Succubus got up. I think she wanted to kill me. Darryl and his new work partner – hopefully temporary because Andy and Darryl make a good team – came running around the corner. They shot her dead and are currently in the alley, taking her body away to the morgue. I told Darryl and his new work partner that she was the culprit they have been after and then I took a confused Dan back into the club,' Prue told them.

'She can't be dead though,' said Phoebe. 'Only fire can vanquish her. Besides, I still feel the connection.'

'Exactly,' said Prue. 'This is why we need to get to the morgue before she wakes up and goes after Dan again.'

'What do you think Dan remembers?' Piper asked.

'We will have to wait until another time to ask him that one,' said Prue. 'First we need to get to the morgue.'

'Which morgue?' Paige asked.

'Darryl told me which one,' said Prue. Then she added with a grin, 'It is great to be back. You three would be lost without me.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged a glance that said she's-right-about-that-if-she-had-not-been-here-Da n-would-probably-be-dead-and-we-would-not-have-eve n-realised. They had gotten good at reading each others' expressions. Prue had not noticed this because she was too busy standing up.

'Are you two coming?' Prue asked Phoebe and Paige.

'Are you sure you don't want me to join you?' Piper asked.

'You have a club to run,' said Prue.

'I have an assistant manager to do that,' said Piper.

They waited while Piper told her assistant manager that she was leaving and that he needed to lock up for her when the night ended. Piper directed them to the club's office. Piper handed each of them a torch that she kept a stock of in the office, in case of power outages. From the secluded office, Paige orbed them to the morgue.

'It's strange, Piper,' whispered Prue, as they walked along the morgue corridor, shining their torches to light their paths. 'I never thought you would want to come along to a vanquish when given the choice between normality and magic.'

'You are probably going straight home after the vanquish,' whispered Piper. 'I want to spend time with you while you are here.'

Prue nodded. 'Thanks.'

'About that: Does Andy know you are here?' whispered Paige.

'Of course he does. Why would I leave without telling Andy?' whispered Prue.

They heard a muffled shout from one of the nearby rooms. The four sisters broke into a run. As they entered the room, they saw a man drop to the floor dead. The Succubus stood by his dead body. She grinned wickedly at the four sisters before teleporting out.

Prue ran over to the man that lay on the floor, shining her torch on his face.

'This is Darryl's work partner,' said Prue. 'She killed him.'

'The Succubus was Darla,' said Piper.

'Who?' said Prue, who had not been to the dating agency with them.

'Never mind,' Piper said to Prue. 'The point is that we know how she was finding her victims.'

'How do we find her now?' asked Phoebe.

Paige dropped her torch in realisation. 'She is probably going to go after Dan again!'

Piper gulped, also dropping her torch. 'Orb us to Dan's house now!'

'No!' said Prue. 'She will be expecting us. Orb us to the manor first. Let's stock up on those premade potions that you lot made a month ago.'

Paige looked from Prue to Piper, unsure of which idea was better. Piper's idea would take the Succubus' attention away from Dan momentarily, maybe enough to save him. However, Prue's idea was smart and decisive. It would give them an element of surprise over what the Succubus expected. At the same time, Paige did not want to choose Prue's idea over Piper's, because if Prue was going to be around less, then Piper needed to know that she could act as leader and think up good plans.

'We do both,' said Paige, as she resolved the issue in her mind.

'Huh?' said all three older Halliwell sisters.

'Both are great ideas, but both have their unique flaws,' explained Paige. 'Prue and Phoebe: You two can get the potions. Piper and I will distract the Succubus.'

'Er, how are we going to do that? Prue and I cannot orb,' pointed out Phoebe.

'Pheebs, I can drop you two off at the manor first,' said Paige. 'It won't take that long.'

Having agreed on a plan, Paige orbed the four of them to the manor kitchen. Almost immediately after Prue and Phoebe had let go, Paige orbed herself and Piper into the hallway of Dan's house.

'Do you know where Dan's bedroom is?' Paige asked Piper.

Piper blushed. 'Why do you expect me to know that?'

'Oh right,' said Paige, laughing silently at Piper's response.

'Piper? Paige? What are you doing here? How did you get in?'

Piper and Paige turned to look at who had spoken. Standing at the top of the stairs was Jenny. She came down the stairs. She looked like she had just woken up.

'Jenny, is your uncle home?' asked Piper.

Jenny shook her head. 'I don't think so. I would have woken up if he had walked past my room.'

'Okay. Thanks,' said Piper. 'Go back to sleep.'

'How did you get in?' Jenny asked, watching them from the bottom step.

'Er, we are not here? This is a dream?' said Paige, shrugging. Paige took a deep breath. She had seen that stupid line work in so many television shows, but this was not a television show. She doubted it would work. Jenny was not _that_ dense.

'Oh… You are right,' said Jenny, walking back upstairs. 'I must be dreaming.'

Piper turned to Paige, whispering, 'How did you know that would work?'

Paige shrugged. 'I never expected it to. That definitely says something about that girl's intelligence.'

Paige grabbed Piper's hand and they orbed back into the kitchen of Halliwell manor. Prue was waving her hand at vials of ready made potions which would go flying out of the cupboard. Phoebe would catch them and read the label, judging whether or not they needed it.

'Prue, stop!' shouted Phoebe when she saw Piper and Paige appear. Prue turned around to see what was going on.

'What are you two doing back here?' Prue asked.

'Dan is not home,' explained Piper.

'So the Succubus probably found him while he was still driving back,' suggested Prue.

Paige nodded.

'Maybe I could figure out where they are,' said Phoebe.

Paige looked at Phoebe quizzically. 'How?'

Phoebe smiled. 'Using my psychic connection.'

To Piper's horror, Phoebe jumped up onto the kitchen table. Phoebe crossed her legs, and shut her eyes.

'Meditation. Good thinking, Pheebs,' said Paige.

'Why on _my_ table?' moaned Piper quietly.

Prue smiled. It was easy to tell from her face that she was going to miss hanging out with her sisters on a daily basis.

'I can see Dan... He is walking next to Darla in a slight daze… I don't know where they are… They are entering a motel room… Room number 028… The motel is called… Ugh! Come on! I need her to look at some sort of motel pamphlet that has the name of it on!' yelled Phoebe with her eyes still shut.

'Motel is good enough for now,' said Paige. 'I will orb from motel to motel until I see Dan's car. There can't be that many motels in San Francisco, can there?'

'I will come with,' said Prue.

'Me too,' said Piper.

'No. Both of you cannot come,' said Paige. 'I need one of you to stay here to phone with more information on what Phoebe sees. Phoebe cannot do that herself. We don't want her breaking concentration.'

'Well I want to come with. It's my fault Dan is in danger,' said Piper resolutely.

Prue was about to argue, but for some reason decided not to.

'Go ahead, Piper,' said Prue.

* * *

Paige began to orb from motel to motel. Piper stopped her when she spotted Dan's car. The two of them ran to room number 028. Paige orbed them to the other side of the door. Piper quickly froze Dan and the Succubus.

'Who has the honour of lighting her on fire?' said Paige. 'I never thought I would say that. I sound like a pyromaniac.'

'I will,' said Piper. 'Orb Dan out of here.'

Paige nodded. She grabbed frozen Dan and orbed him to the hallway of his house. Hoping that the freeze would wear off before Jenny saw him, Paige orbed back to the motel room. The wardrobe was on fire.

'Why did you burn down the wardrobe?' asked Paige.

'She unfroze and ran at me,' said Piper. 'I froze her again to run out of the way. She unfroze again and because I had moved she ran into the wardrobe. I threw a lit match at her while she was there.'

'I think this has been my least favourite demon vanquish,' said Paige, shivering a little at the sight of the burning wardrobe.

'Me too,' agreed Piper. 'Let's go.'

Paige orbed the two of them back to the manor. Phoebe was sitting on a kitchen chair. Prue sat next to her on another chair. When Piper and Paige appeared, the two of them stood up.

'You did it?' said Phoebe. 'The psychic connection is gone! She must be dead!' Piper and Paige nodded. Then Phoebe frowned, 'Oh no… She is dead.'

'Er, since when did that become a bad thing?' asked Prue. 'She was a demon on the rampage, killing innocent men.'

'Yeah, but that means you are going to go back to Portland now,' said Phoebe, turning to Prue. 'We have to say goodbye _again_.'

'Pheebs, I will always come back if any of you need me,' said Prue. Then she added with a smile, 'Except tomorrow. I have job interviews lined up for tomorrow.'

Phoebe hugged Prue goodbye. 'I will miss you. I just hate saying goodbye,' said Phoebe.

'See you, sis,' said Piper. 'Say hi to Andy for me.'

Prue turned to Paige. 'Paige, do you mind orbing me back? I could always call Leo instead.'

Paige shook her head. 'I am fine orbing you there.'

Paige took Prue's hand and orbed them to Prue's apartment. Paige looked around the room they had orbed into.

'This is bigger than I expected for an apartment,' said Paige.

'House prices are cheaper in Portland than in San Francisco,' said Prue.

'What is the time?' asked Paige curiously. 'Is there a time difference here?'

Prue shrugged. 'I will let you know when I have figured that one out.'

Paige nodded. 'Oh, er, why did you not argue about being the one to come with me to vanquish the demon?'

'I noticed that Piper had been trying to take some form of control all evening,' said Prue. 'I had to relinquish control to Piper, to give Piper a chance to find her feet as she might be taking charge more often.'

'Thanks for doing that,' said Paige.

'No problem,' said Prue. 'Keep up the good work. Just make sure to let me know the next time there is a demon to vanquish. I would like to be there from the beginning.'

Paige smiled. 'I will try.'

'Bye, Paige,' said Prue.

* * *

Paige orbed back to the manor straight into the attic where she collapsed onto her bed filled with fatigue. As she lay in bed and sleep began to engulf her, Paige's mind began to formulate a scene:

_Paige was walking into _P3_. It was empty, except for one person behind the bar. Paige walked over to the bar. Some random guy was behind the bar. He jumped over the bar and smiled at Paige. He held his hand out to dance with Paige. Paige accepted the offer. She suddenly realised that music was playing in the background. They danced to it. The random guy swept Paige off her feet and she closed her eyes as they kissed. Paige opened her eyes, suddenly recognising the random guy. It was… Derek!_

Paige opened her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. It had just been a dream. Derek had not been at _P3_ that evening. The random guy Phoebe had been talking to at _P3_ looked nothing like the random guy that turned out to be Derek in Paige's dream. Why had she dreamt about Derek? Paige's heart was still hammering and Leo's words suddenly echoed through her mind again:

_If you feel that way back, all I can say is I won't condone it_.


	18. That Old Black Magic(Plus Very Big Egos)

**A/N:** There will be a slightly different narrative technique for these next few chapters (or however long this episode lasts). Hopefully it won't be too confusing. This time, the italics are not symbolising dreams, premonitions, spells, over emphasis, or thoughts (wow, I did not expect that list to be so long). In the case of these next few chapters, the italics are another plot running parallel to the main story – the main story will be written in normal font. You will see what I mean as you read along… I hope.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: That Old Black Magic (Plus Very Big Egos)**

_Paige entered an office building. She was wearing a long smart-looking grey dress with a woollen cardigan. Slender grey gloves covered her hands. A nice long handled purse was draped over her shoulder and her dark hair was tied back. Paige passed many cubicles which were occupied by busy-looking people, who were either on phones or filling out paperwork at their desks._

_Paige suddenly stopped to let a flustered-looking man rush past her. While she was stationary, she observed the chaotic environment that she currently found herself in. It was busier than the social services firm that she had been a secretary at, but that is what she had expected as this place was bigger and more distinguished for its work within that sector._

_Paige glimpsed down at her watch. It was almost ten o'clock. Paige turned to face the closed door that she had been approaching before she had stopped. She believed the office that she required was behind that door, especially as a name plate on the door said 'Cowan' and she knew the man interviewing her was called Mr. Cowan. Taking a deep breath, Paige approached the door and knocked._

_'Come in,' said a male voice from within. Paige assumed the voice belonged to the aforementioned Mr. Cowan._

_Paige entered the office, shutting the door gently behind her. She smiled at the man in the office. He stood up from his desk as she approached it. He held his hand out for Paige to shake. Paige shook it with one of her gloved hands._

_'Nice to meet you. I am Mr. Cowan. I assume you are Miss Matthews?' said Mr. Cowan, as he quickly moved some papers around on his desk._

_Paige nodded. 'Your secretary told me to knock. Otherwise I would have waited for you to call me in.'_

_'That's fine,' said the man. 'Please take a seat.'_

_Paige sat down on a chair that faced the desk. The man sat back down on his own chair. Despite the nerves that were spreading through her, Paige could not help but smile._

_'You seem extremely cheerful for someone that is about to have questions thrown at them,' noted Mr. Cowan in a positive manor._

_Paige's smile grew. 'Oh, don't get me wrong. I am nervous about this interview. I am in a wonderful mood because of some wonderful news I got just before I left for this interview.'_

_Mr. Cowan opened up a file and flicked through it until he came to a page. Paige spotted a copy of her resume on the page that he had stopped on. Mr. Cowan removed the resume from the poly pocket that it had been in. He had a little read of it before putting it down on the desk and eyeing Paige._

_'Miss Matthews, you have never expressed an actual interest for social work in the past. I notice though that you have had secretarial experience within a social work firm. Therefore, I want to know a little more about you. Why do you want to be a trainee social worker?'_

_'From my work at the other social work firm, I know how the office runs and I know the basics of what is involved to be a social worker –' began Paige, but Mr. Cowan interrupted her._

_'I have already realised that from your resume,' said Mr. Cowan. 'What I want to know is more about you, about how you would fit into the role of a trainee social worker. Tell me about yourself.'_

_Paige nodded. She took a deep breath and began:_

_'I was abandoned by my real parents at birth. I was raised by my father – well, I call him my father, but he was the man who adopted me. We are very close and can speak about almost anything…_

'Paige? Paige? Are you listening to me?' asked Leo.

Paige jumped in surprise at hearing Leo's voice. She quickly placed the hand mirror that she had been looking at onto the arm of the sofa facedown. Paige was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She was wearing a hoody and sweatpants. Her dark hair was loose. Paige looked up at Leo.

'When did you get here?' asked Paige, blushing a little.

Leo took no notice of Paige's embarrassed demeanour at having been caught having a vain moment.

'I orbed in a few minutes ago, you said 'hi' while staring into that mirror, and I started talking, only to notice that you were not even listening,' said Leo, a little irritably.

Paige went even redder in the face than before as her eyes flicked from the hand mirror that was facedown on the sofa's arm back to Leo.

'So what were you talking about?' asked Paige, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Leo sat down on the sofa next to Paige.

'I wanted to talk to you about your white lighter lessons. We have not done any of those for a while. Do you want to start that up again?' Leo asked.

'Er…' said Paige, hesitating. Paige was in a bit of a dilemma. She wanted to carry on with the white lighter lessons. However ever since her dream about Derek, Paige had been trying to avoid Leo as much as possible. She did not want him to somehow suss from his white lighter instincts that Paige liked Derek. After thinking she had hesitated for far too long, Paige said, '… I have been a little busy with demon fighting and getting my non-magical life back on track, but we will start again soon, I promise.'

Leo nodded. 'Is there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?'

Paige furrowed her brow. 'Anything else I wanted to speak to you about? You were the one who started the conversation.'

Leo let out a sigh. 'Yes, but… Ever since I warned you about… Derek…' Leo said Derek's name with a hostile tone. 'Ever since that… you have seemed a little… distant.'

This was exactly the reason she wanted to avoid Leo at the moment. His white lighter abilities made him very intuitive.

'I am fine,' Paige insisted, hoping that Leo would not be able to notice her lie. 'It has just been a little weird adjusting to a new set up at the manor.'

Leo shuffled in his seat a little to look at Paige curiously. 'A new set up?'

'A certain person insisted that I move out of the attic into the bedroom that is now spare…' said Paige, deciding not to mention names. 'I feel like I am trespassing.'

'Have you moved out of the attic yet?' asked Leo.

Paige shook her head. 'No. I am trying to stand my ground, but the certain person is also being adamant about me moving into that bedroom.'

Leo chuckled. 'Don't tell me which one of them it is that's doing the insisting. It will be fun to guess.'

Paige rolled her eyes. 'Too bad. I am telling you. It's P –'

Leo held his hand out into the air, gesturing for Paige to be silent. Leo's pupils moved upwards. Paige recognised the expression.

'Is it a charge or the Elders?' asked Paige.

'The Elders,' Leo replied. He stood up and smiled at Paige. 'Bye.'

'Bye,' Paige said as Leo orbed out.

* * *

_'I have been lucky enough to have found my birth family. Although I found out that my birth mother is no longer around and I have no clue of where my birth father is, I did find out that I had three older sisters. In the brief time I have known them, we have grown extremely close…_

Paige turned to face the living room window. She had heard a car pull up on the drive. Piper's jeep had returned. Paige smiled. Dropping the mirror – which she had been holding again – onto the sofa, Paige ran into the foyer.

'Phoebe!' Paige shouted towards the stairs. 'Phoebe! They're here!'

Paige ran forward to the door and opened it. The boot of Piper's jeep was open. Paige watched as the boot closed, revealing Prue and Piper walking towards the porch with three suitcases.

Paige smiled and stood to the side to allow the two eldest Halliwells into the foyer where they deposited the suitcase.

'It is so great to see you again, Prue,' said Paige, as Phoebe came galloping down the stairs into the foyer.

'Prue! Hey! How was the flight?' asked Phoebe.

'It was okay,' said Prue, shrugging. She shivered a little. 'Paige, can you close the door?'

Paige frowned. 'Close the door?'

Piper chuckled and said sarcastically, 'Yeah. Remember, the thing that you opened to allow us access into this house? It needs to be closed too. I know you don't use those things very often these days, because your power allows you to enter buildings and rooms without them, but the door still needs closing.' Piper smiled mischievously at the end of her sentence to show Paige that she was only joking around.

'How about Andy?' asked Paige, puzzled.

From what Paige had gathered, Prue and Andy were going to both be coming down to San Francisco for the next few days. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had all been looking forward to seeing them again, as they had not seen Prue since the Succubus demon attack two weeks earlier, and had not seen Andy since he had first moved away from San Francisco.

Although Paige had made the offer – when first hearing of their plans the previous week – over the phone of orbing them to San Francisco, Prue and Andy had decided to take the plane instead. Although orbing was faster, Prue was in a similar boat to Piper in wanting to have as normal a life as possible. Prue would have only agreed to travel by orb if there had been an emergency.

Piper had driven to the airport that morning to pick Prue and Andy up. Therefore, Paige had been expecting Andy to be in the jeep too.

'Oh, I knew we forgot something at the airport,' said Prue, smiling. Then on a more serious note, Prue said, 'Andy could not make it. He was given a case yesterday that he could not turn down.'

'Aaww, Prue, I am sorry to hear that,' said Paige.

'You did not have to come without Andy,' said Phoebe. 'You could have staid in Portland with him.'

'Yes, but I wanted to see you guys,' said Prue. 'I was hoping for Andy to be here too, but I will be back in Portland with him in… three days time.'

'Well, the least I can do for you is to orb your suitcases up to your room,' said Paige, taking hold of the three suitcases.

'My room?' said Prue, smiling. 'I don't live here anymore.'

'I think Paige is getting confused with her room,' laughed Phoebe.

'Yeah, the one that she still refuses to sleep in,' added Piper.

Paige rolled her eyes. 'Please don't start this again.' In an attempt to escape the bedroom discussion, Paige orbed into Prue's – because in Paige's opinion, the room still belonged to Prue, no matter what any of her sisters insisted – room with the three suitcases.

* * *

_'I have told you enough about my family. You probably want to know about my interests too. I always make an effort to keep up to date with current affairs in the media…_

'Paige! It's starting in a minute!' shouted Phoebe.

Paige came running into the living room. She sat down on the sofa next to Piper and Phoebe.

'Is Prue going to be in here soon?' asked Paige.

Piper sighed. 'She is still in the bathroom. I hope she's okay. She has not been well since she got here yesterday.'

'Didn't you set up a doctor's appointment for her?' Phoebe asked Piper.

Piper nodded. 'I am taking her there straight after this show is over.'

As if on cue, Prue entered the living room. She took a seat on the empty armchair. She looked a little pale as she had spent the last half hour or so being sick.

'Are you okay?' Paige asked Prue.

'Don't worry about me,' said Prue weakly. 'I think it's just food poisoning. That airplane food did seem a little… off.' In response to the concerned looks that she was receiving from all three of her sisters, Prue added, 'Really. I am fine.' When this statement did not cause their looks of concerns to falter, Prue pointed at the television screen and said, 'Look! It's starting!'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all turned their attentions to the television. A panning view of a room in Bucklands was visible on the screen. There were many tables with people crowding around each one. The panning stopped as the camera rested on the host who was speaking directly to the camera.

'What's it feel like to know that you missed out on being in this?' Phoebe asked Prue.

Prue shrugged. 'Egotistical valuators showing off on prime time live television? I am glad that I quit before they had a chance to rope me into doing this.'

Piper chuckled at Prue's response. 'Can you remind me again why we are watching this?'

'I wanted to see which egotistical valuators they picked to be on this instead of me,' answered Prue.

Phoebe and Paige both silently sniggered when they heard Prue's response.

Throughout the majority of the broadcast, each of the sisters kept interrupting it with witty remarks or comments. Prue's remarks were the most frequent out of the four of them. Her running commentary tended to consist of 'Wow, she priced that wrong! It is worth nowhere near that amount!' and 'Ugh! Not him! That guy would chat me up _every_ morning in the elevator!'

Meanwhile Piper's remarks ran along the lines of 'That antique would look so nice as the centre piece in the foyer!' and 'This is what you used to do all day, Prue? Well, minus the cameras, of course. How did you manage not to go bored out of your mind at Bucklands?'

Phoebe's comments throughout the live broadcast went like 'I would not want to be caught dead wearing what she's wearing on live television!' and 'Does no one in the auction industry go to a decent salon?' The latter remark caused Phoebe to receive a glare from Prue. In response to the glare, Phoebe said gingerly, 'Your hair has always been nice, Prue!'

Paige's comments showed how invested in watching the show she was: 'Is it finished now? Oh… Just an ad break? Really? Okay…' and 'Does anyone want a snack from the kitchen? Tea? Coffee? Anything?' were just two examples of how bored she was. She had only agreed to sit down and watch the broadcast, because it was where Prue used to work and Paige had been misleadingly told that the show would be interesting.

Around forty five minutes into the show, a blonde haired man came into shot. He was holding an item that a woman had brought in. The host was currently providing a voice over, so it was impossible to hear what the blonde man was saying.

Prue frowned. 'He doesn't work at Bucklands.'

'Maybe he started after you quit,' suggested Piper.

Prue shook her head. 'No… It can't be that.'

Suddenly the voice over stopped and the camera zoomed in on the blonde haired man. Noticing the camera was on him, he smiled and said to the woman, 'I am Jack Sheridan from Sheridan Internet Auctions. Betty, how much has the auction house offered you for this item?'

Betty, the woman Jack had been speaking to, smiled as she said, 'Five thousand dollars.'

'We all know that this five thousand dollars is not guaranteed _and_ once you take off the auction fees…' Jack trailed off, allowing this information to sink in.

During his pause, Prue yelled at the screen: 'What idiots! Why would they let someone in that is going to steal custom from Bucklands? Someone should kick that jerk out!'

'I can offer you one thousand dollars _and_ you will receive that money _today_. That money is guaranteed,' said Jack.

Betty's expression suggested she was considering taking the offer.

Prue shook her head, annoyed. 'Don't take the offer! He is ripping you off!'

Phoebe laughed. 'Prue, it's a television. She cannot hear you.'

Prue rolled her eyes.

Before Betty could reply to Jack, the host popped into view of the camera and said, 'We will be right back after this commercial break to find out whether she accepts!' The television screen then started to show the advertisements.

'Well, that was… interesting,' said Phoebe, amused by Prue's reactions to Jack Sheridan.

'Does anyone want a drink while the adverts are on?' asked Piper.

'No thanks,' said Prue. 'I don't feel up to one at the moment.'

Phoebe raised her eyebrows. 'Wow. Did _the_ Prue Halliwell just turn down the chance of a coffee? You must be ill.' Then Phoebe turned to Piper and said, 'None for me either, thanks.'

'I could do with a coffee,' Paige said to Piper.

Piper smiled. 'Can't you make it yourself?'

Paige frowned. 'Didn't you just offer..?'

'Yes, but you were the one who wanted to go to the kitchen throughout the whole first half of this show,' Piper pointed out.

'Yeah… but the show has just gotten interesting, what with all the tension and drama,' muttered Paige.

'The tension and drama is coming from Prue, not the television,' laughed Piper.

Leo orbed into the space between the four sisters and the television.

'Hey! You are blocking the television!' shouted Phoebe childishly.

'It's just adverts, Pheebs,' said Paige.

'Can we turn the television off?' asked Leo. 'I need to speak to you… All of you… Now.'

'Can it wait?' asked Phoebe. 'We really want to see Prue's reaction to this jerk when the show comes back on!' Phoebe was trying to peer around Leo in order to see the television screen.

Leo did not budge. He folded his arms. 'This is important!'

Piper put the television on mute and looked up at Leo. 'Go ahead. What is it?'

'A witch has been set free,' began Leo. 'A bad witch.'

'Wait, wait, wait. I remember clearly telling Prue that good witches that go bad become warlocks. I did a lot of research when we first became witches and that is definitely something I remember,' Phoebe cut in.

No one bothered answering Phoebe's well-raised point. They were too busy trying to find out more about what Leo wanted them to do.

Prue sighed. 'So your bosses want us to vanquish her?'

'It is not as simple as that,' said Leo. 'The Charmed Ones are not powerful enough to defeat her.'

'So in other words: We are all doomed,' said Piper. 'Thanks for the pep talk, Leo. I don't know what we would do without you.'

'You four cannot defeat her, but there is someone who can: The Chosen One,' said Leo.

'I feel like I should follow that up with the mention of a well-known wizard in a book or a well-known killer of vampires in a television show, but I won't interrupt with something like that,' said Phoebe.

Ignoring Phoebe's interruption, Leo continued, 'You need to find the Chosen One and protect him until his wand comes to him. Tuatha, the evil witch, will be looking to kill the Chosen One.'

Leo narrowed his eyes in frustration when Phoebe grabbed the remote from Piper, turning off mute in the process.

'What?' said Phoebe, still trying to get a view of the television which Leo was blocking. 'It's back on!'

'Did you not hear me? This is important! You need to find the Ch –' Leo's rant came to an abrupt stop as he set his eyes on the television.

Jack and Betty were still on screen. Betty was discussing the background of the item that she had brought in.

'Oh great! We did not get to hear whether or not she accepted the offer!' moaned Prue.

'Leo, will you move out of the way of the television?' Phoebe shouted, throwing a cushion his way.

Leo backed away from the television, still staring at it.

'I don't believe it,' muttered Leo. 'Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige. The item that the lady on this show is talking about… It's… That is… _That's_ the wand!'

* * *

**A/N:** A quick reply to the reviews for the previous chapter - Dan was 'exposed to the weirdness', yes, but he still knows nothing. There were a lot of positive reactions to the Derek revelation; I am glad he is being received well by the majority of you. Thank you for reviewing!


	19. That Old Black Magic (And Vanity)

**A/N:** There was a _big _assumption made in a lot of the previous chapter's reviews. That assumption will be verified or falsified in the next chapter (after this one). All that I can say is that _if_ your assumptions were right, I would never write in another version of Wyatt that was uber powerful and took up all the attention (I am not a Wyatt fan _at all_).

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: That Old Black Magic (And Vanity)**

_'Another thing that I always make sure to do is improve my skills. I always take the chance to do that at every viable opportunity…_

After Leo's revelation, the four sisters had switched the television off and decided on a battle plan. Prue and Piper were going to focus on finding the Chosen One after a quick stop off at the doctors. Phoebe and Paige were going to focus on getting the wand from Bucklands.

Prue and Piper had already left. Phoebe and Paige had remained behind at the manor with Leo.

'Why are you keeping us here?' Phoebe asked Leo. 'I thought we had already agreed that Paige and I were going to Bucklands.'

Leo sighed. 'I know. You two cannot just waltz in there though and steal the wand. We don't want you in trouble with the law.'

'Then how do you suggest we do it?' asked Paige.

'Paige, how do you feel about changing your looks?' asked Leo.

Phoebe laughed. 'She has been looking in that little hand mirror of hers so often today that she may find it refreshing to have a different reflection to look at!'

Paige blushed. Trying to hide her embarrassment, Paige said to Leo, 'I am part witch too. Phoebe and I could always just use a spell to temporarily change our appearances.'

'That's what Phoebe will do, but you, Paige, have a choice,' said Leo. 'Do you feel up to a quick lesson in glamouring?'

Phoebe raised her hand hesitantly. 'Er, guys, I have never done a change of appearance spell before. I think I am going to need a quick lesson in that too.'

_'As well as being enthusiastic to learn, I do also find joy in teaching others…_

'Don't worry, Pheebs,' said Paige. 'As soon as Leo has taught me to glamour, I will show you the spell that you will need.'

Leo smiled. 'Does this mean you are going to try the white lighter way, Paige?'

Paige nodded. Phoebe sat down on the sofa, waiting intently to see what was involved in Leo's white lighter training course. Paige and Leo remained standing in the middle of the living room.

'Paige, do you remember the basics of glamouring?' asked Leo. 'I remember starting to talk to you about those shortly before Prue's wedding.'

Paige scratched her head in thought as she tried to remember.

'Was there something about..? I am sure you said something like… Actually there was something to do with…' Paige trailed off and shook her head. 'Sorry. So much has happened since then. I really cannot remember what the basics are.'

Leo chuckled. 'That's okay, Paige. Let me remind you.' Leo turned to Phoebe. 'Phoebe, would you like to be my assistant?'

Phoebe looked absolutely surprised at being interacted with during this white lighter lesson. However she stood up and nodded excitedly, intent on doing something useful.

'Good,' said Leo. 'Paige, stay here. Phoebe, follow me into the kitchen.'

Paige waited in the living room while Phoebe and Leo disappeared into the kitchen. Ten minutes later, Phoebe walked back into the living room.

'What was that all about, Pheebs?' asked Paige.

'Leo wanted to set you a little task to see if it would jog your memory on the basics,' said Phoebe.

Paige frowned. 'What's the task?'

A second Phoebe promptly entered the living room. There were now two identical Phoebes standing in the living room, side by side, facing Paige.

Paige rolled her eyes. 'The first rule of glamouring is being able to fit the role that you have decided to take.'

'That's what Leo said,' said the second Phoebe. 'Whether it is a real person or a made up identity that you glamour into, you have to act the part.'

'Leo also mentioned something about making sure to have the correct body language for the part you are playing, as well as the correct mannerisms and correct habits,' continued the first Phoebe. 'So my question to you is this: Am I the real Phoebe?'

'Or am I the real Phoebe?' asked the second Phoebe.

Paige looked from the first Phoebe to the second Phoebe. Leo must have offered Phoebe his wardrobe for this task because both Phoebes were wearing plaid shirts that were loose on them and jeans with sneakers.

'Leo, we need to sort out your wardrobe after this,' said Paige.

The first Phoebe laughed. 'That is what I said to him when he told me to put this on.'

'I told Leo that he was going to owe me for helping him,' said the second Phoebe. 'I never thought I would see the day where I would be wearing plaid!'

Paige rubbed her forehead. Leo was doing a good job at pretending to be Phoebe. Every time Paige thought she had sussed which one might be her sister, the other one chimed in with something just as promising.

Looking from the first Phoebe to the second Phoebe, Paige tried to see any inconsistencies in their body language. However both Phoebes were standing in the exact same manner. It was impossible to tell.

Paige suddenly figured out a way to tell them apart. Feigning a look of surprise, Paige pointed behind the two Phoebes and shouted, 'Oh my gosh! Is that Tuatha?'

The first Phoebe turned around very quickly. She began to aim her leg for a kick before she noticed that there was nothing there. Therefore she ended up kicking thin air. Meanwhile the second Phoebe's immediate reaction had been a lot slower and only consisted of turning around to see the first Phoebe kicking thin air.

Both Phoebes turned back to look at Paige, annoyed at her deception. Paige had her arms crossed and was smiling at them.

'Sorry Leo. You may be good at mimicry, but you don't have reflexes like Pheebs,' said Paige. She pointed at the second Phoebe and said, 'Leo.'

Blue and white orbs engulfed the second Phoebe. Once the blue and white orbs died down, the form of Leo was standing where the second Phoebe had stood moments before.

'At least you now remember the basics of glamouring,' said Leo. 'Now it's your turn.'

'I am just going to change my outfit into something less ug – I mean, something more to my style,' Phoebe said before leaving the living room.

'Shall we begin, Paige?' asked Leo.

'I better check something first. I don't have to wear one of your plaid shirts, do I?' joked Paige.

'No,' said Leo, smiling.

'Good,' said Paige. 'Now what do I do?'

'Get into your head the image of how you want to look. In your case, you don't want to look like anyone you know. You don't want to get them in trouble for stealing that wand,' said Leo.

Paige closed her eyes and tried to imagine a different face, a different hairstyle, a different hair colour…

After a few seconds, Paige opened one of her eyes, and said to Leo, 'Has anything happened yet?'

Leo shook his head. 'I had not finished instructing you. That was only the first step.'

'Oh,' said Paige, a little disappointed. She opened both her eyes. 'Continue.'

'Each of your white lighter abilities have a separate trigger. Healing is initially triggered by love, but even with that knowledge it is difficult to master. Orbing is initially triggered by fear. Glamouring is triggered by…' Leo trailed off. 'Would you like to hazard a guess?'

'Geez, the way you are talking, you would have thought you were a teacher at magic school,' said Paige. 'I am sure Gideon would hire you if you asked.'

'Paige! Focus!' shouted Leo.

'Sorry,' mumbled Paige. She took a deep breath and then said, 'Okay. Focusing. Um… Trigger? Trigger? Trigger?'

'Who's going to trigger what?' Phoebe asked as she returned to the living room in a pink sleeveless top, black trousers, and high heels.

Paige raised an eyebrow. 'Pheebs, how many outfits do you need in one day? You could have just changed back into what you were wearing before Leo's task.'

Phoebe shrugged. 'If I could wear multiple outfits in one day more often, I would.'

Leo cleared his throat, attracting Paige's attention back to him.

'Oh yeah. The trigger for glamouring,' said Paige. 'I give up. Can you tell me? It is probably best if we are back with that wand before Prue and Piper get back with the Chosen One.'

Leo sighed. 'Fine. The trigger is –'

'The power of imagination!' Phoebe shouted.

Leo sighed again. 'No. Just no, Phoebe. The trigger is…' Leo paused for suspense. 'The trigger is imagining the veil.'

Before Phoebe could mumble something about her answer being partially right, Paige said, 'The veil?'

'Imagine you are covering yourself with a veil as you assume the identity of another person,' said Leo.

'How exactly do I do that?' said Paige, slightly puzzled.

'I am experienced in glamouring, so I can do it quite easily. When I was a beginner, I found that making this motion helped to imagine the veil.' Leo put his hand just above his head so as his palm was facing toward him and then moved his hand slowly down to the level of his chin, keeping his palm facing toward him the whole time. 'Understand?'

Paige nodded. 'I think so.'

'Good,' said Leo. 'Now have a go.'

Paige took a deep breath. She closed her eyes. This was not a requirement but it helped her to focus on the image of how she wanted to look. Paige held her hand at forehead level so as her palm was facing towards her. Slowly she moved her hand down to chin level.

'Wow,' said an impressed Phoebe.

Paige felt no different. The only confirmation that the glamouring must have worked had come from Phoebe's awed exclamation.

Paige opened her eyes.

Leo was smiling. 'Good job, Paige. My work here is done for now. I will be back later when Prue and Piper bring along the Chosen One.'

Phoebe and Paige bade goodbye to Leo as he orbed out.

In the next five minutes, Paige taught Phoebe the spell that would temporarily change her appearance and then Phoebe recited it. Phoebe and Paige both went to the mirror in the hallway to take a look at their reflections.

Phoebe had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and was slightly taller – overall, she looked nothing like Phoebe Halliwell. Meanwhile Paige had light brown hair, green eyes, and had remained the same height – overall, she looked nothing like Paige Wyatt.

'Wow,' Phoebe said again. 'This is just so… absurd. I am looking at myself, but I don't look like myself. I am speaking, but I sound nothing like myself.'

'Absurd is probably the best way to describe it,' said Paige.

Paige grabbed Phoebe's arm and orbed them into an empty elevator in Bucklands.

'Never thought I would be back here again, Pheebs,' said Paige.

'Pheebs? If we are going by fake identities, shouldn't we use fake names too?' Phoebe pointed out.

'Good point,' said Paige. 'I know what pseudonym I want to use: Eve L. N. Shantress.'

Phoebe looked at Paige, puzzled. 'Why?'

Paige smiled. 'Never you mind. What name are you going to use?'

'Cindy Ella,' said Phoebe.

Paige raised her eyebrows in disbelief. 'Really?'

The doors to the elevator opened. Phoebe and Paige stepped off the elevator onto the corridor. The two of them walked down the corridor towards an extremely noisy room. The broadcast had finished a couple of hours ago, but many of the staff and clients had remained behind to chat and verify valuations that had been made on camera.

Immediately Paige spotted Jack speaking to Betty. The wand was in her hands.

Phoebe sighed when she also spotted the two of them. 'I knew we should have brought Piper. We could do with her freezing power right now.'

'We will have to deal with what we have,' said Paige.

'I don't see how premonitions and orbing can be useful in this situation,' muttered Phoebe.

'I meant your street smarts and intuition, my instincts, and our quick-thinking wit,' countered Paige.

Phoebe nodded and a small smile appeared on her face as she hurried forward into the room. Unsure of what Phoebe was thinking, Paige remained by the door. Phoebe walked right past Betty before circling the room and making her way back towards Paige. When Phoebe reached Paige, she dropped a gold watch into Paige's hand.

Paige's eyes widened in shock. 'Is that..? Did you..?'

'Hide it!' whispered Phoebe hurriedly.

Paige quickly stuck the watch in her pocket. Phoebe turned back to the noisy room. This time she approached Jack and Betty, who were still deep in discussion. When they noticed Phoebe intruding on their conversation, they stopped to see what she wanted. Paige was close enough to hear what was being said.

'I am sorry to interrupt, but… I have been going from person to person in this room asking the same question…' said Phoebe competently. 'Do either of you own a gold plated watch?'

Jack did not reply. Betty, however, took a look at her wrist and noticed that her watch was gone. Her expression became one of worry.

Looking back at Phoebe, Betty said, 'I did not even notice it was gone. Has someone found it?'

'Go down to lost property. It is a few floors down. Follow the signs,' Phoebe instructed her.

Betty nodded. She looked at the wand in her hands, unsure of whether to take it with her or not.

'I can look after that fo –' began Phoebe.

Jack interrupted Phoebe. 'Betty, do you mind if I have another look at it while you retrieve your watch?'

Betty smiled and handed Jack the wand before leaving the room in a hurry. Jack smirked at Phoebe when he noticed her annoyance.

'I am buying this later today. Everything has already been agreed on,' said Jack. 'Why do you need to see it?'

'I was interested in the artefact, is all,' said Phoebe.

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Of course. You would be another of this auction house's staff, wouldn't you?'

'Sure,' said Phoebe. 'I have worked here for so long that I was here before the unwarranted takeover by the fake Rex and Hannah.'

'Never heard of them. I only began looking at this place the other day when I noticed that I could take the chance to crash this live broadcast,' said Jack.

'I guess you did a good job of that,' muttered Phoebe.

Jack held out the hand that was not holding the wand, waiting for Phoebe to shake it.

'Jack Sheridan,' he said as Phoebe unwillingly shook his hand.

'Cindy El–' Phoebe began.

'Hi there!' Paige interrupted, purposefully approaching the two of them before Phoebe could say the surname of her pseudonym. Paige turned to Jack and said, 'I work for the production crew. Although we shot this live, we want to get photos of all the items that were sold during the broadcast. Do you mind if I take that for five minutes?'

Jack looked suspicious and untrusting. 'Do you have ID to prove this?'

Paige froze. She had not been expecting that question. She had no idea of how to get past this barrier. Fortunately for her, Phoebe was a quick-thinker when it came to lying.

'There is no need to worry, Mr. Sheridan,' said Phoebe. 'I will accompany her downstairs. As an employee of Bucklands, I would never allow an item to be moved without the correct procedure.'

Paige feigned a smile at Jack as Phoebe said this. Jack sighed. Rather than handing the wand to Paige, he handed it to Phoebe.

'Thank you,' said Phoebe and Paige.

They walked out of the room at a slow pace, so as not to stir up suspicion. They were lucky enough to find an empty elevator which they entered. As soon as the elevator doors shut, Paige orbed the wand, Phoebe, and herself back to Halliwell manor.

* * *

_'With the experience I have had from voluntary work, there is often a lot of waiting involved while you wait for the rest of the team to catch up with you. One of the most important things I have learnt is to not waste that waiting time and to utilise it to the full extent…_

Ten minutes after returning to the manor, Phoebe and Paige were back to looking like their normal selves. Phoebe had even changed outfits for the third time that day. The two sisters were now sitting in the living room, looking through the Book of Shadows to see what they could find on Tuatha. The wand sat on the coffee table.

The front door burst open. Frustrated voices could be heard coming from the foyer, so Phoebe and Paige left the living room to see what was going on.

Prue and Piper stood yelling at one another while a teenage boy stood quietly by the closed front door.

'Piper, all I am saying is that if it was you, you would never have said yes to a blood test!' shouted Prue.

'Yes, but we are not talking about me. We are talking about you and you are obviously ill so we need to know what is wrong!' argued Piper.

'It's just food poisoning!' yelled Prue.

'The doctor agreed with me that it may not be food poisoning!' countered Piper.

'That still does not give you the right to request that they give me a blood test!' Prue screamed.

'You are an adult! You could have turned it down when they told you they were going to give you a blood test!' bellowed Piper.

'By that time, if I told them no, it would have looked like I was scared! No way was I going to let them think that about me!' shouted Prue.

'Why do you care so much about what people think of you? First you are like: 'I am the invincible Prue Halliwell! I don't get sick!' Then you are like: 'I am the almighty Prue Halliwell. I have no fear!' Prue, you don't have to be the strong one the whole time!' yelled Piper.

'Yes I do!' Prue shrieked.

Walking in between Prue and Piper to break up their argument, Phoebe said, 'Calm down, you two. Focus on the vanquish for now, go back to bickering later, okay?'

Prue turned her back on Piper and Phoebe, shaking her head in frustration. Piper just rolled her eyes.

When she realised that neither of the two eldest Halliwell sisters were going to make a retort, Phoebe said, 'So who's the kid?'

'The Chosen One,' said Piper bitterly. 'After _someone_ whined the whole way in the car after their doctor's appointment, we finally found the kid at his high school.'

'I did not whinge!' snapped Prue spitefully.

'I think Phoebe had sussed he was the Chosen One,' Paige said, slightly stunned by the dispute between the two eldest Halliwell sisters. Except for the time when Prue moved out of Halliwell manor, the two eldest Halliwell sisters _never_ fought like that. 'I think she was asking about the kid's name.'

Finally finding the courage, the kid said, 'My name's Kyle.'

'Nice name,' said Paige.

Over the next half hour or so, with the added presence of Leo, the four sisters and their white lighter explained the magical world to Kyle. This explanation included their role as witches and Kyle's role as the Chosen One.

When Kyle suspected that it was all a joke, Phoebe handed him the wand. It began to glow in his hand. Kyle was shocked. They directed Kyle into the kitchen and left him to analyse the wand.

* * *

_'When working in a team full of people, there are sometimes split decisions on what should be done. These decisions cause conflict within the workplace. Sometimes you have to side with one person over the other and hope that you can still remain in a good relationship with that other person…_

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo then returned to the living room to have a private discussion. Against Leo's wishes, Prue came up with the plan for the four sisters to face Tuatha. She had the belief that they could do it without Kyle.

After scrying for Tuatha, the four sisters were ready to go. Piper was hesitant though.

'I agree with the plan, but… We only need three of us to have the Power of Three,' said Piper. Prue glared at Piper as it was obvious what Piper was about to say next. 'Prue, you are ill. You should stay here and let Phoebe, Paige, and me go.'

_'As I said before, sometimes you have to go against a certain person even if they are usually the one in charge. I always go with my instincts when deciding whose side to pick…_

Prue did not reply. She was seething. Phoebe and Paige moved closer to Piper and further from Prue to show who they agreed with. Leo added nothing to the discussion. He was already angry with them for not listening to him.

Piper took Paige's left hand. Phoebe took Paige's right hand. As Paige began to orb out, she felt someone's hand grab her shoulder. Prue had jumped the orb.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review with your opinions on this chapter!


	20. ThatOldBlackMagic (AndPrideAndPregnancy)

**A/N:** So I forgot to point out in the previous chapter, the reference I made to the 'Evil Enchantress'. I was wondering how many of you spotted it.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: That Old Black Magic (And Pride And Pregnancy)**

_'Disputes in the workplace will always happen. From what I have learnt over the last year or so, it is to not let them get in the way of the task that you have set out to do…_

Paige had orbed them to the Mura woods. The four sisters had been walking through the woods for five minutes now. Piper had said nothing to Prue about her unrequested presence on the mission. Prue had said nothing either about how she had went against Piper's orders. Phoebe and Paige had also remained quiet about the fact that Prue was not supposed to be there because they did not want to get involved in the argument.

'We should be getting close to the caves,' said Phoebe, breaking the silence between the four sisters.

'That's good. I don't like the jungle,' said Paige.

'It's not a jungle, Paige,' said Phoebe. 'It's a –'

Phoebe stopped speaking because she had noticed that Prue had come to a complete halt. Her face was suddenly paler than before and she was holding her hands against her stomach.

'Oh, please, no. Not now,' muttered Prue.

All anger had dissipated from Piper's face and tone, as she said, 'Prue? Are you okay?'

Prue lurched forward a little, but managed to keep control.

'Paige! Take her home! Now!' said Piper, worried for her eldest sister.

Paige nodded, complying. She grabbed Prue's arm and orbed the two of them back to the manor. Prue and Paige appeared right outside the manor's upstairs bathroom. Prue ran straight in, closing the bathroom door behind her. Paige sat down on the hallway floor, leaning her back against the closed bathroom door.

_'I have a caring nature. If one of my colleagues is upset or unwell, I won't abandon them…_

After Prue had finished throwing up, she did not leave the bathroom. However, she did shout, 'Paige, are you still out there?'

'Yes,' replied Paige.

'You should go and rejoin Piper and Phoebe. They might need your help,' said Prue weakly.

Paige shook her head, which was a little pointless because Prue could not see her. 'No, Prue. I am not abandoning my older sister when she is ill.'

There was a brief silence while Prue contemplated Paige's words. That's what Paige assumed had caused the silence. It could have easily been Prue trying to contain anymore involuntary vomiting that had caused the silence.

'Paige… Leave… Go back to Piper and Phoebe…' Prue began to say again.

'No,' said Paige stubbornly. Then she added a little more kindly, 'When will you get your blood test results?'

'The doctor said to expect a phone call at some point tomorrow,' Prue said.

Paige heard the sound of a tap running in the bathroom. A minute later the tap was turned off and then Paige felt the bathroom door open. She shuffled over to the adjoining hallway wall to avoid falling backwards. The bathroom door shut as Prue entered the hallway and sat down on the floor next to Paige. Prue was wiping her face dry with a towel.

'Feeling a little better?' Paige asked her eldest sister.

'A little,' said Prue. Changing the subject, Prue said, 'Why are you refusing to move into my old room?'

'It's not your old room. It still is your room and always will be,' said Paige.

Prue shook her head. She stopped doing this abruptly to avoid another bout of throwing up. 'It's not my room anymore. I live in Portland.'

'Yes, but you stay in that room whenever you visit the manor, because it belongs to you,' said Paige.

'No. I only slept in there last night, because it was empty and I needed a proper bed that was not the sofa with the way that I was feeling,' said Prue. 'That room should not have been empty though. It's yours.'

It was Paige's turn to shake her head in disagreement. 'That is the biggest room in the house. It goes to the head of the family. That's you.'

'I have two families now. There's you, Piper, Phoebe, and me. Then there's just Andy and me. With me absent from this family most of the time, that leaves the space for someone else to take my role as head of the Halliwell family,' said Prue.

'Then that should be Piper,' muttered Paige. 'She should have your old room.'

'Would you feel better about moving out of the attic if she did take that room?' Prue asked Paige. 'That way you could have Piper's room which is the same size as Phoebe's, but still much better than sleeping in the attic.'

Paige sighed. 'Maybe…' Paige furrowed her brow as she realised something. '_Better than sleeping in the attic_? You said that as if you have had experience sleeping in the attic.'

'Well, for one thing: Piper, Phoebe, and I did become witches weeks before you showed up. I spent many nights in the attic, looking through the Book of Shadows to try and get some answers to what was happening to us. I would call them sleepless nights if I had not actually fallen asleep in the attic on numerous occasions over those few weeks. Besides all of us fell asleep in the attic that night when we were trying to help you research who your birth family were – You know, right before you found out that we were your family?'

Paige nodded. When it came to answering a question, Prue did not do it by halves.

There was suddenly a crash downstairs. Prue and Paige exchanged worried looks. Prue stood up and broke into a run. The sudden noise seemed to have made her forget that she was ill and therefore slightly weak. Paige followed Prue down the stairs. The noise had come from the conservatory.

The glass window of the conservatory was broken. Kyle was standing, breathing rapidly, as he still held his wand pointed towards the broken window. Leo orbed in next to Kyle, smiling. When Leo saw Prue and Paige, he began to explain about the training that he was putting Kyle through. Leo suddenly paused as his expression became a frown.

'Is someone calling you?' Paige asked, recognising Leo's expression.

'Yeah. Your sisters. Did you forget to bring them back with you?' asked Leo.

'Oh… You see… Prue and I came back early,' said Paige.

'Well, I better see what they want,' said Leo. He orbed out.

_'As a potential social worker, I know that it is an advantage to be able to get along with people of all ages. My interpersonal skills are always improving…_

Prue and Paige turned to Kyle, who seemed a little more relaxed than a few minutes previously.

'I see you are getting a hang of that thing,' Paige pointed out.

Kyle shrugged. 'I can only get it to work when I am angry.'

'Don't worry. My powers used to only work when I got angry,' said Prue.

'I heard you were a high school student. I bet you were glad to get out of school for something as ridiculous sounding as this,' said Paige.

Kyle shrugged. 'I think I would rather be in school than here.'

Prue frowned. 'Our house is not that bad!'

Paige laughed. 'So now it is _your_ house? What happened to 'I don't live here anymore', huh?' Paige turned to Kyle and said, 'We are not forcing you to stay here. You can leave if you want, but it is important that you do stay.'

Kyle shrugged again. 'I thought you and your sisters wanted to try and defeat that evil person on your own?'

'There was a slight… hitch in that plan…' said Prue. She sounded very unwilling to accept that it was her fault that the drawback had occurred.

'It does not matter, Kyle. When our sisters get back, we will work out a new plan to vanquish Tuatha,' said Paige.

'That's if they haven't done it themselves already,' said Prue. Her tone suggested that she was trying to reassure Kyle rather than that she believed this herself.

Leo orbed into the conservatory with Piper and Phoebe. Piper's eyes widened at the state of the windows, while Phoebe let out a laugh and said, 'What did we miss here?'

_'If I ever miss out on a task at work, I will always make sure to catch up…_

'How did it go?' Paige asked the two middle Halliwell sisters.

The silence that came from Piper and Phoebe was all that was needed to answer the question.

'I know I should have staid,' mumbled Prue.

'Prue, you were getting ready to be sick all over the jungle, which is practically pollution and definitely not ecologically friendly,' Phoebe pointed out. Paige decided now was not the best time to point out to Phoebe that she had called it a 'jungle' even though she had pointed out to Paige earlier that it was not one. 'You were not in a state to fight.'

'Well, I am for now. Let's get straight back there and vanquish her,' said Prue resolutely.

'We could, but… She won't be there,' said Piper. 'She kind of disappeared after giving us an ultimatum.'

'An ultimatum?' echoed Paige.

'She told us that she would be ready for the two of us next time,' sighed Phoebe.

'The two of you. As in you and Piper?' said Prue.

Phoebe smiled. 'I see where you are going with this. She won't be expecting you and Paige to be here too.'

'Let's not forget about the addition of Kyle,' added Paige.

All four sisters turned to the teenage boy who was surprised at the conversation being turned on him when the sisters had just been discussing whether they could manage without him an hour earlier.

'Do you think you are up to it?' Paige asked Kyle.

Kyle gulped but then nodded. 'Yeah. I think so.'

'So what are we going to do? Summon her here? Get Kyle to vanquish her?' brainstormed Paige.

'We are going to think up a plan,' said Prue. 'We need to use whatever Piper and Phoebe learnt about Tuatha against her.'

'Learnt about her? She is powerful and knows her magic,' said Piper unhelpfully. 'I don't see how that will help us.'

'Well, she has not faced the interchangeable Power of Three or the Chosen One yet,' said Prue smugly.

Phoebe sighed. 'Can we not just say 'The Power of Four'? It would be so much easier.'

'I would call it that if that is what it was, but it isn't,' said Prue.

* * *

_'When I am focused on a task, I will put as much effort as possible into it…_

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige spent the next hour thinking up and going over a plan. They kept encouraging Kyle to contribute as they did not want him to feel left out or like he was not needed. Leo had left towards the start of their plan discussion as he had been called by other charges.

This discussion had been taking place in the living room. Piper suddenly looked across the room and squeaked in terror, throwing her hands out.

'It's not freezing!' she shouted.

'What isn't fr – Oh what the –' Phoebe shrieked as she saw what Piper had been on about.

Paige suddenly looked over and saw it too. A snake was moving along the living room floor towards the sofa they were sitting on. As Prue set her sights on it, she swung her hand upwards, causing the snake to be telekinetically thrown across the living room.

Piper was already standing on the sofa, while Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were stood on the floor. Kyle had stood up from his seat on the armchair. He was now gripping the wand in his hands.

Prue turned to Kyle. 'Care to test your skills?'

Kyle nodded slowly. He pointed his wand at the snake. Shouting a violent word, Kyle caused the snake to disappear in a reddish glow.

Prue smirked. 'I think we are ready to face Tuatha.'

'Good thing I am here then,' said a voice from behind.

The four Charmed Ones and Kyle turned around. Standing at the entrance to the living room was the evil witch, Tuatha.

'I was only expecting two witches, but I can cope, considering I have disempowered two of you,' said Tuatha.

'That's why my freeze didn't work,' grumbled Piper.

Tuatha sneered wickedly. Paige picked up an athame that the sisters had put on the coffee table while figuring out their plan. With the athame in her hand she orbed to just behind Tuatha. Paige was about to stab her when the evil witch turned around and used her powers to throw Paige across the foyer into the adjacent dining room.

'Ow,' mumbled Paige as she slid across the floor, crashing into the dining table and chairs. She had dropped the athame somewhere in the process of being thrown through the foyer.

As Paige stood up she could see the wand floating halfway between Tuatha and Kyle in the living room. Kyle was stretching his hands out, trying to summon the wand back to him. Prue was squinting at the wand. It looked like she was trying to channel her telekinesis into sending the wand back towards Kyle.

'Your powers do not work on the wand, witch,' said Tuatha. 'Only my powers and the Chosen One's powers work on it, and my powers are stronger than his!'

The wand was slowly moving towards Tuatha. Prue – who had now given up on trying to use her powers to help – Piper, and Phoebe were all starting to give Kyle an encouraging pep talk.

The wand began to float back towards Kyle until it was in his grasp. Kyle glared at Tuatha before willing her to be vanquished. Tuatha was vanquished in a burst of fire.

'As much as we need to congratulate Kyle right now, I need to go!' Prue said, holding her hand to her mouth as she left the living room, running past Paige on her way up the stairs. A few seconds later the bathroom door was heard slamming shut.

'Is she okay?' Kyle asked the sisters.

'She's… a little under the weather,' Piper said.

* * *

_'The reason I left my previous place of work was because I was going through a lot of things. I had just met my birth family and I was getting used to such a dramatic change in my life. However, I am now ready to get back into a working environment –_

'Paige!'

It was the morning after Kyle had vanquished Tuatha. Paige had been sitting in the attic, looking into the hand mirror again. She was dressed in a long grey dress with a woollen cardigan and her dark hair was tied back.

Paige put the hand mirror down and stood up just as Phoebe walked into the attic.

'Paige! You are going to be late for your interview if you are not careful,' said Phoebe.

'Relax, Phoebe. It is nine o'clock. My interview is not until ten. If I run out of time I can orb straight there,' said Paige.

Phoebe's eyes wandered over to the hand mirror which was on a table right next to where Paige stood.

'It's that hand mirror again. What has had you so focused on staring at your reflection these last couple of days?' Phoebe asked Paige.

Paige blushed as Phoebe picked up the hand mirror and looked into it.

'Why do I see you dressed exactly as you are now but talking to a man in an office?' asked Phoebe suspiciously.

'I may have enchanted the mirror to show me how my interview would go,' said Paige tentatively.

Phoebe smiled. 'Don't worry. I am not the sister that will rant to you about personal gain. That's not my style.'

Paige let out a sigh of relief about avoiding a rant, but then said, 'Are you going to tell Prue, Piper, or Leo?'

'Of course not,' said Phoebe, handing the hand mirror back to Paige. 'Undo it now and I will pretend that I never saw it.'

'Thanks,' said Paige. She then muttered a spell under her breath and the image of her interview disappeared to be replaced with her own reflection.

Paige picked up her purse, the one with the long strap, and followed Phoebe down the stairs. As they were making their way down the stairs, the manor phone rang.

'I'll get it!' Prue shouted, her voice echoing through the manor.

Phoebe and Paige found Piper in the living room.

'Hey guys,' said Piper. 'Looking forward to your interview, Paige?'

'I think I have a good idea of what to say,' said Paige, glancing at Phoebe who was smiling considering she knew that Paige actually did know what she was going to say at the interview.

'I spoke to Prue last night and she told me why you were refusing to move out of the attic,' began Piper. 'I am more than willing to take Prue's old room. You can have mine.'

'Are you sure?' said Paige.

Piper nodded. 'Positive.'

Paige smiled, thanking her older sister.

'Paige, what's wrong with your hands?' Piper suddenly asked. Her expression changing to one of worry.

Paige frowned. She looked down at her hands. Both of her hands were tinted in a very pale blue colour.

'I – I don't know…' said Paige, staring at her hands in shock.

'Personal gain consequence?' whispered Phoebe, low enough for only Paige to hear clearly.

'What was that, Phoebe?' Piper asked.

'What was what?' asked Phoebe. 'I was talking to myself.'

Paige subtly shook her head to signal to Phoebe that it was very unlikely that this was an effect of a personal gain consequence.

'Maybe I made a mistake with my glamouring,' said Paige.

'Then try and fix it,' said Phoebe.

Paige took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She made the veil motion as she tried to use her glamouring ability. Paige opened her eyes and looked at her hands. They were still tinted in a pale blue.

'It didn't work…' said Paige.

'Maybe something else is causing it…' muttered Piper.

'I don't have time for this now!' said Paige, starting to panic. 'I have an interview in less than an hour! I don't want magic to ruin it!'

'It's okay. We can improvise,' said Piper. 'I think I may have the perfect solution!'

Piper ran out of the living room. The living room was left in silence. Phoebe and Paige could hear Prue's voice. She was still on the phone in the corridor, but her words were not discernible.

'So,' said Phoebe, breaking the living room's silence. 'You couldn't come to your future telling older sister for advice about your interview?'

'You can't call for premonitions, remember?' said Paige. 'Besides, what would be the chances of you getting a premonition based on my interview when they are all usually demon or innocent based premonitions?'

Phoebe shrugged. 'Well, did it even help?'

'I don't know,' said Paige. 'I mean, there is one thing I don't understand… Apparently I had heard some wonderful news before going to my interview.'

'What wonderful news is that?' asked Phoebe, intrigued.

'I don't know! Which is annoying because I am about to leave for that interview! I should know what the wonderful news is by now!' Paige moaned.

Prue came walking into the living room. Phoebe and Paige turned around to look at Prue.

'Hey Prue. Who was on the phone?' asked Phoebe.

'Just the doctor with my blood test results,' said Prue as if it was hardly worth mentioning.

_Wonderful news_, thought Paige, suddenly smiling. Exchanging a glance with Phoebe suggested to Paige that she was thinking along the same lines.

'Prue, are you..?' began Phoebe, smiling.

Prue raised an eyebrow. 'Am I what?'

'You know… Are you..?' Paige added, trailing off with a grin.

Prue frowned. 'What are the two of you on about?'

Piper returned to the living room with some grey gloves. She handed the gloves to Paige.

'Wear these for your interview,' said Piper. 'They will be a temporary solution.'

'Thanks,' said Paige, putting on the gloves.

Piper turned to Prue. 'Hi. Who was on the phone? Was it your results?'

Prue nodded, not adding anything more to the topic.

'So… What is it? What's wrong with you?' asked Piper. She suddenly noticed that Phoebe and Paige were grinning. 'Is it something good? Oh my gosh, are you pre –'

Prue shook her head and, before Piper could finish, said, 'No. I am not pregnant. Apparently I can't fly.'

Phoebe's grin faded. 'You can't fly? I hate to break it to you, Prue, but none of us can fly.'

Piper swatted Phoebe for wasting time, which could be filled with serious questions, with a joke.

'Prue, what do you mean by that?' asked Piper.

'Apparently it's as boring as air sickness,' said Prue, rolling her eyes. 'Except it was delayed and terrible and…'

'Wait, you have been on planes before and been absolutely fine,' Piper pointed out.

Prue hesitated a little. 'Well actually, when Andy and I went to move to Portland was the first time I had ever been on a plane…'

Piper frowned, but on adding everything up in her head, that did make sense. 'We have never really been on holiday as a family…'

'Wait, we were going to go to Cabo at one point last year,' said Phoebe.

'That got cancelled, because Leo was injured,' Prue said.

'Still though, you were fine after the plane trip to Portland with Andy,' said Paige. 'You were fine enough for Leo to orb you back here due to the Succubus stuff.'

Prue sighed. 'Apparently I was lucky not to get the symptoms that time.'

Piper frowned. 'So does that mean you won't be going back by plane?'

Prue shook her head, wandering out of the living room with Piper. 'Looks like I will be going back by orb. I don't know how often I will be able to come back and forth now, considering it is not fair to Paige or Leo…' Prue and Piper continued conversing, but Phoebe and Paige could no longer hear them as they had remained in the living room.

Phoebe turned to Paige. 'Aaww, I really wanted the wonderful news at your interview to be Prue's pregnancy.'

'So did I,' said Paige. 'I am still no closer to finding out what that news is!'

Phoebe put her hand on Paige's shoulder to console her. Phoebe gasped as she was pulled into a premonition. A few seconds later, Phoebe smiled, releasing her grasp on Paige's shoulder.

'Did you ever see the outcome of that interview?' asked Phoebe.

'No…' said Paige.

'You are going to get the job,' said Phoebe.

'Thanks for the encouragement, but –' began Paige, but Phoebe interrupted her.

'No. I mean that I saw you being offered the job. You are going to get the job,' said Phoebe. While Paige remained silent to contemplate this sudden news that the interview she was about to attend was definitely going to lead to an actual job, Phoebe added, 'See. You should have come to me straight away instead of resorting to enchanting a mirror.' With those words, Phoebe left the living room.

Paige followed Phoebe into the foyer. 'I would not personally call it wonderful news, but it will definitely boost my confidence on walking into that interview – as long as I don't change the outcome by being too arrogant since I know…' As Paige opened the front door to leave, she said to Phoebe, 'No need to wish me luck.'

* * *

**A/N:** So the title of this chapter was a bit of a red herring, kind of. I have been in two minds as to how to end this chapter with those all important blood test results, but after seeing your reviews and with what I have planned for upcoming episodes, a pregnancy would be too soon at the moment. Please review!


	21. They're Everywhere (Plus Advice)

**A/N:** There is a mention in this chapter to something that Piper does a lot with her freezing power in later seasons of the show that always bugged me. Also later on in this chapter, Prue is telling Paige about something that happened. It is easier for me to go into narrative mode as if it were a flashback to explain it than to write it in Prue's dialogue. Therefore, although Paige is hearing it from Prue, I will actually be writing it all in narrative.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One: They're Everywhere (Plus Advice)**

Straight after her interview, Paige had taken the gloves off to notice that the blue tint had disappeared from her hands. Therefore Paige had decided not to ask Leo about it. However a few days later when Paige had been anxiously waiting for a phone call to see if she had gotten the job or not (only because she was worried that she had inadvertently changed the future by being too confident because she knew what to say and that she was going to get the job), her hands had begun to go a shade of blue again. Therefore Paige decided it was time to call Leo for advice.

Leo looked at Paige's hands.

'Hmm… This is definitely not the effects of a faulty glamour,' said Leo. 'It could be orbing residue. If a white lighter has orbed too briskly, it can cause orbing residue on the hands.'

'That cannot be it, because I orb properly,' said Paige. 'Plus this keeps going away and coming back.'

Leo frowned. 'I don't know what it is then… Keep an eye on your health and your powers. We have to hope that this is not a demon at work.'

'Is there such thing as white lighter eczema?' Phoebe asked on walking into the room. She had decided to offer her own suggestion.

'There is no such thing, Phoebe,' said Leo. 'Do you need anything?'

'No, well actually, yeah. Piper asked me to remind you about the broken conservatory window,' said Phoebe, referring to the windows that were still boarded up after Leo had been thrown through them by Kyle a few days earlier.

'Oh. Right,' said Leo. He picked up his tool box which he had brought with him and walked out of the living room towards the conservatory.

When she was sure that Leo was out of earshot, Phoebe asked Paige, 'Is it just me or does Leo never take me seriously?'

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since Paige's interview. Phoebe and Paige were sitting in the living room having a discussion.

'Are you sure you want to cast that spell?' Paige asked Phoebe.

Phoebe nodded. 'It's not fair on you and Leo if you always have to orb her. Besides I wrote the spell myself. It is going to be _perfection_!' Phoebe grinned at her spell mastery.

Paige smiled. 'Okay. We'll wait until she's next here to cast it. Where did you leave the spell?'

'It's hidden in a cabinet in the attic,' answered Phoebe. 'The one with that old birdcage on top.'

Paige nodded. There was a slight pause before Paige decided to ask something that had been bugging her for the last couple of weeks. 'Did you notice Prue's reaction when we thought she was pregnant?'

Phoebe furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. 'She hardly reacted… You don't think that that's what she wanted to hear when the results came through, do you?'

Paige shrugged. 'You have known her longer than me.'

Phoebe's eyes widened. 'You don't think she wants a kid..?'

Paige shrugged again. 'You tell me. You're the empa – Oh, wait. Never mind. You're not. I don't know why I would ever think that. Maybe it's because you tend to be quite intuitive about people's emotions…'

Ignoring Paige's strange remark – something that could also easily be defined as a 'typical Paige Matthews ramble' – Phoebe said, 'If Prue and Andy are trying for a baby… I can't wait to be an aunt!'

Paige laughed. 'Our sister isn't even pregnant and you are already thinking about your future – not yet existent in anyway at all – niece or nephew.'

'There's no question about having a niece or nephew. The baby is definitely going to be a girl,' said Phoebe.

'I don't disagree with you on that one,' said Paige. 'I am not too sure about the name though.'

'The name is going to start with a P. It has to,' said Phoebe.

Paige shook her head. 'I could see Prue breaking that tradition.'

'Do you have premonitions?' asked Phoebe sarcastically.

'Er, no,' said Paige timidly.

'Then you cannot suggest such a thing,' said Phoebe smugly.

'Why? Prue isn't even pregnant! Unless of course, you have had a premonition as far ahead as when Prue and Andy do have kids?' Paige said to Phoebe.

Phoebe blushed. 'Nope.'

'Then my prediction is as good as yours,' Paige replied promptly.

Piper came running into the living room. The phone was in her hands which were by her sides.

'I need advice!' Piper said to her younger sisters.

'What's wrong?' Phoebe asked Piper.

Piper sat down on the armchair, putting the phone down on the armchair's arm.

'Dan just asked me out!' said Piper, biting her lip as she finished her exclamation.

'Well, it's about time! He's been giving you the puppy dog eyes ever since he first met you!' Phoebe exclaimed.

Paige raised her eyebrows as her eyes landed on the phone that Piper had just put down. 'He asked you out over the phone? That's not very romantic, is it?'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'He didn't ask me out over the phone. I went out to get the newspaper earlier this morning. He was outside checking his mail. We exchanged greetings, chatted for a little bit, and then he popped the question.'

Phoebe laughed. 'You make it sound like a proposal.' Then more curiously, she said, 'So what did you say? Are you going to go on a date with him?'

'I don't know! I freaked out! I froze him and ran back in doors!' said Piper, a little guiltily.

'Is he still frozen?' asked Paige.

'I doubt it,' said Piper.

'So to him it looked like you just disappeared into thin air,' Paige pointed out.

Piper hesitated. 'Maybe… but… I tend to do this sort of thing a lot with people. Freeze them and run away… I don't really think about those consequences and they never seem to catch on.'

'Oh… Okay,' said Paige, shrugging. 'So why did you need the phone if you were coming to us for advice?'

'Um…' Piper hesitated. 'I may have decided to phone Prue for advice first…'

'_What_?' shrieked Phoebe. 'Is _my_ advice not good enough for you? Is Prue a better source of advice than _me_?' Phoebe paused as her eyes darted to Paige and then back to Piper. Phoebe quickly added, 'Or Paige?'

'Was Prue's advice not helpful?' asked Paige, referring to the fact that Piper was still in need of advice even after speaking to Prue.

'Prue's advice consisted of telling me that she knows that I still like Leo and that if I go out with Dan, he will only be the rebound guy. She was not against the idea of me going out with Dan. It is just the fact that she brought up Leo that made me… that made me require more advice from other sources.'

'You mean other sisters,' said Phoebe.

'You knew what I meant,' said Piper. 'So please, advise me.'

'Follow your heart,' said Paige, not wanting to say anything more. Although she had eventually grown used to the idea of Piper and Leo dating, back when they were dating, Paige did not like the idea of encouraging or discouraging the relationship. Therefore she wanted to say as little as possible right now.

'That is _so_ cliché, Paige!' said Phoebe. 'Here's some better advice, Piper. You and Leo are over. It's unfortunate, I know, but you will never know whether or not you like Dan more unless you get to know him better – and before I get a witty remark from either of you two, I did not mean that Piper has to do anything beyond the actual dinner part.'

'Thanks, Pheebs,' said Piper. 'I guess I will give Dan a chance.'

Phoebe smiled. 'So when was he suggesting to go on this date?'

'Later this week. He is a little busy over the next two days with a wedding that he has to go to,' said Piper.

'He has already got a date lined up with someone else straight after his own wedding,' joked Phoebe. 'Talk about cold feet!'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'He is going as a guest.'

Phoebe stood up from the sofa. 'Anyway, I need to get to my voluntary shift at the hospital.'

Paige stood up too. 'Am I giving you a lift there on my way to work?'

'If that's okay,' said Phoebe. 'I cannot believe you are about to have your first day of work while I am stuck doing unpaid work.'

'Pheebs, I thought you enjoyed your voluntary work,' said Piper.

'Yeah… I am just a little bummed to not be employed like you two and Prue,' said Phoebe.

'Is Prue employed yet?' asked Paige. 'I thought she was doing freelance photography work whenever she could, but other than that, she has not got a full time job yet.'

Phoebe smiled. 'Okay. That makes me feel a little less bad about being jobless.'

Phoebe and Paige made their way out of the manor, leaving Piper behind. As they walked towards Prue's car, they saw Dan walking onto their front garden.

'Hey. Do either of you two know where Piper is?' asked Dan when he approached Phoebe and Paige.

'She is in the manor and I think she has something to say to you,' said Phoebe, smiling.

Dan nodded and began to walk up the manor steps.

* * *

Paige parked Prue's car in South Bay Social Services' car park. As she got out of the car she looked up at the building that seemed doubly as daunting as the time that she had went there for her interview. Today was her first day there. This is where she had worked in that faked future. This is where she had first heard about that Henry guy. Paige was pretty sure that he was a fictional man formed by that fictional future. However, she could not help but associate his name with the place.

Paige was wearing a grey waistcoat and black trousers, as well as high heeled shoes. She had been forced to wear gloves again this morning as the blue tint had returned.

Paige walked into the building and soon found herself entering the main cubicle-filled room of the workplace. Paige slowed down. She had been told to find the cubicle that belonged to a Lila Smith. Paige looked from cubicle to cubicle until she found one that had the name plate 'L. Smith' on a desk.

Paige recognised the woman sat at the desk in the cubicle right away. She had been the woman that Paige had spoken to in the faked future. She was obviously ten years younger, but she was definitely the same woman. This was the woman that had brought up Henry to Paige. If she existed, did that mean that Henry existed too?

Lila suddenly noticed Paige staring at her.

'Hi. Can I help you?' Lila asked.

'Me? Oh, er, are you Lila Smith?' Paige asked.

Lila smiled. 'I take it that you are Paige Matthews?'

Paige nodded.

'It is nice to finally meet you, Paige,' said Lila, shaking one of Paige's gloved hands. 'I will be training you.'

Lila offered Paige a second chair that was at her cubicle. Paige sat down.

'I think the first thing we should discuss is paperwork and confidentiality,' began Lila.

Paige nodded, still awestruck at the fact that she had technically met this woman in ten years time.

* * *

Eight hours later, Paige was driving back to the manor. She had been expecting a phone call from her sisters about demons or some sort of magical conundrum. However the only phone call she had gotten from a Halliwell was from Phoebe telling her not to bother picking her up because she had already gone back to the manor by foot. Annoyingly Phoebe would not tell Paige why she had ditched her voluntary work so early that day.

During her drive home, Paige's mind started to wander. This was one advantage to driving instead of orbing. It gave her time to think about things.

Throughout the day, the possibility that Henry did exist had been nagging at the back of her mind. In that faked future, Henry had been her boyfriend, or even possibly her husband. However, now that Paige thought about it, did she really care if Henry existed? If he did exist, that did not mean she had to fall for him nor that he had to fall for her. Besides Paige knew that she liked Derek.

Paige had not seen him for over a month now. The last time he had showed up was when Dishwalla had been playing at _P3_. She did not want to call for him. That would make her sound like she wanted him to be there. If she did that, he would probably use her emotions as a way to make fun of her and mock her. Unless, of course, he liked her in return. Paige could not find out whether he liked her back until he decided to make an appearance again and as she was not going to call for him, she was now waiting anxiously for him to show up.

Paige pulled onto the drive of Halliwell manor. She got out of Prue's car and began to walk up the steps whilst still deep in thought about Derek.

_He has to come back soon, hasn't he? He was adamant about finding out what was wrong with his powers and he did think that I was at the centre of it all_, thought Paige as she found her door keys and put them in the lock. _Unless Leo actually did scare Derek off. Damn, Leo. Why did he have to do that? And then he makes me feel guilty about the prospect of liking Derek? Not fair!_ The front door swung open and Paige shut it behind her as she walked further into the manor unaware of her surroundings. _Sometimes I wish Leo was not my dad._

'What?'

Paige was jerked out of her thoughts by the sound of Prue's voice. Paige focused on her surroundings. She had aimlessly walked into the living room. Prue was sitting on the sofa, but had turned around to face Paige.

'Prue? Shouldn't I be the one who says 'What'? What are you doing here?' asked Paige. 'I mean, it is great to see you, but a little worrying to see you at such short notice too. Has there been a demon attack? Is Andy okay?'

'Paige! Paige! Paige!' Prue kept repeating throughout Paige's ever growing list of concerns. When Paige had finished, Prue continued, '_Demons_ have not attacked, and Andy is fine, as far as I know.'

'Okay, good,' said Paige, calming down a little. 'Then why are you here?'

Prue said, 'I had a phone call from a Jack Sheridan this morning.'

Paige frowned, recognising the name. 'The jerk from the auction house?'

'Yeah. The guy we saw on television,' confirmed Prue.

'I had the misfortune to meet him in person,' said Paige, grimacing.

'Yeah. Well, he phoned me this morning. I had just put the phone down after my talk with Piper when the phone rang again. I picked it up expecting Piper to be phoning back with another neurosis, but it wasn't her. It was Jack,' began Prue.

Paige sat down on the armchair. _This is going to be a long story. If I still had telepathy I could at least watch it like a show rather than listen to the account._

'Geez, Paige. If you don't want to listen to the story you don't have to,' Prue suddenly said.

Paige furrowed her brow. 'Where did you get that idea from? I want to hear the story. Tell me! What was Jack phoning about?'

Prue's story went like this:

_Prue put the phone down after giving Piper advice about her Dan dilemma. Prue went to walk away from the phone when it rang again. Prue picked the phone up and answered it._

_'Piper, you really don't have to –'_

_'Piper? I know we have not met yet, Prue, but that is an interesting nickname you have for me,' said an unknown male voice._

_Prue frowned. 'Who is this?' she asked suspiciously._

_'Jack Sheridan, from Sheridan Internet Auctions and now a consultant at Bucklands Auction House,' said the man who had phoned her, Jack._

_'I see Bucklands could not find any professionals to hire then,' said Prue wittily._

_'Oohh, sassy. I like that,' laughed Jack._

_Prue sighed with impatience. 'Who gave you this number?'_

_'I know people, I know how to research, I know how to use my connections,' said Jack._

_'So what did you want?' asked Prue, getting more aggravated with the smug man every second that the phone call lasted._

_'I lost out on a deal a few weeks ago thanks to two very sly women. I have one of their names, well her first name. She said she was an employee at Bucklands. There is no record of her though… I have been unable to track her down,' said Jack._

_'How has that led you to me? I have not set foot in Bucklands for months now,' said Prue._

_'I know, but when I was speaking to the woman before she disappeared, she told me that she worked here while Rex and Hannah were still around. When researching the employee records, I found out that you were one of the main employees present in Bucklands at that point, so I was hoping that you might know her.'_

_Prue sighed, hoping that he would never speak to her again if she answered his question this once. 'What's their name?'_

_'Cindy… Her surname started with 'El' or something,' said Jack._

_Prue rolled her eyes. 'I cannot say the name sounds familiar. In fact, it sounds like a fake name.' Prue paused to think up an excuse as to why to hang up. 'Anyway, my husband is calling my name. Bye!' With those words she hung up._

Paige narrowed her eyes. 'I still don't understand why Jack's phone call made you decide to come to San Francisco.'

'I got to thinking about how easily Jack could have rang anyone else who had worked there at the same time as Rex and Hannah, but he did not ring those people, he rang me. He even managed to find my Portland phone number which would not have been on Bucklands' records, because I quit when I moved to Portland. Then I recalled how he said that he had mentioned another woman as well as Cindy. That's when I realised he was on about you and Phoebe…' said Prue.

Paige nodded. 'I was Eve L. N. Shantress and Phoebe was Cindy Ella.'

Prue raised an eyebrow. 'Cindy Ella? Really?'

Paige smiled. 'I had the exact same reaction.'

'Back to the point, when I realised that Jack was going to so much trouble to track you and Phoebe down, just for him to coincidentally ring me for information… I don't think it was a coincidence,' continued Prue.

'Do you think he knows something?' asked Paige.

'More than just that. I think he could be a demon or a warlock…' said Prue. 'I called for Leo straight away and asked him to orb me here so as I could start checking the Book of Shadows for ways to test for demons and warlocks.'

'Warlocks don't bleed so you could always prick Jack with a needle and see what happens,' said Paige.

Prue scowled. 'Why do you and Phoebe know so much more about this stuff than me and Piper?'

'Wait! You have spoken to Phoebe today? Do you know why she left her volunteering thing so early?' Paige asked.

Prue nodded. 'She had some sort of premonition about a demon or warlock attacking someone she had met a few weeks ago. I think his name was Eric.'

'I knew she wasn't telling me everything on the phone!' said Paige, standing up to go and search for Phoebe. 'Is she home?'

Prue nodded and Paige almost immediately left the living room to look for Phoebe.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry to any Derek fans. He won't be making an appearance for a while, but he will be getting a lot of mention over the next few chapters. Phoebe and Paige's spell won't get another mention until the end of the 'They're Everywhere' plot. Please review!


	22. They're Everywhere (And Crossing Minds)

**A/N: **I thought I had better note that I have nothing against Jack's character. I thought he was quite good in the six episodes of season two in the canon that he was in. However to keep him in character and the sisters in character, I have to make them think of him as a jerk.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two: They're Everywhere (And Crossing Minds)**

Paige's sister search ended as abruptly as it had started. Paige found Phoebe sitting in her room, doing research on her laptop.

When Paige entered Phoebe's room, Phoebe looked up and said, 'Hey Paige. How was work?'

'Don't 'Hey Paige' me! Why didn't you tell me you had a premonition?' asked Paige.

'I still needed to figure everything out. That's why. I did not want to steal you away from your first day of work when I had no plan of action,' explained Phoebe.

'Do you have a plan now?' asked Paige.

Phoebe nodded. 'We'll get Prue and Piper, and then find Eric. I will explain everything I know to you, Prue, and Piper all at once.'

Phoebe closed her laptop and began to make her way down the staircase. Paige followed. As they got to the foyer, Piper was standing by a frozen Dan.

'Er, Piper, why is Dan frozen?' asked Paige.

Phoebe furrowed her brow. 'Why is Dan still in San Francisco anyway? I thought you said he was leaving for that wedding this morning.'

Piper turned to Phoebe and Paige with a look of panic on her face. Piper was holding a small pin in one of her hands.

'Dan decided that he did not want to leave here for two days. He did not want to abandon me. He chose seeing me over going to the wedding,' explained Piper.

'That does not explain the frozen Dan or the pin. I am a little scared that I have stumbled into a psycho killer movie where I find out that my sister is the psycho killer,' joked Phoebe.

'Oh this?' said Piper, holding up the pin. 'I had to check if Dan was a warlock or not, because Kit hissed at him.'

'Er, Piper, why did you think Dan was a warlock?' asked Paige.

'It's not past tense, Paige. He is one,' said Piper with the biggest look of worry on her face. 'I pricked him and he is not bleeding.'

Phoebe frowned. 'He's frozen.'

Piper blushed in embarrassment at her foolishness. 'Right. Go back upstairs so as I can unfreeze him!'

Phoebe and Paige ran back up the stairs, but hid at the top so as they could peer down and eavesdrop. Piper flicked her wrists at Dan and he unfroze.

'Ow!' said Dan as he rubbed his hand which had begun to bleed a little.

Piper and Dan exchanged a few more pleasantries before Dan kissed Piper on the cheek and left the manor.

Phoebe and Paige came down the stairs. Phoebe was giggling a little.

'You haven't even been on your first date yet and Dan's already kissing you?' said Phoebe.

'I'm just relieved he's not a warlock,' said Piper.

Prue wandered into the foyer from the living room. Piper turned to Prue and said with a smile, 'Dan's clean.'

Prue nodded. 'That's one potential warlock down. One to go.'

'Jack, right?' said Paige.

Prue nodded.

'He'll have to wait,' said Phoebe. 'We need to find and save Eric. I'll explain everything on the way there.'

'Hang on, no! I need to go to Bucklands,' said Prue. 'I need to find out who this Jack guy really is before he gets the chance to get too much information on us.'

'Okay,' said Piper. 'Well, Phoebe, Paige, and I can go find Eric, while you go to Bucklands.'

Prue stared at Paige for a second before replying with: 'No. Neither issue requires the Power of Three. You two go find Eric. Paige is coming to Bucklands with me.'

Paige looked surprised. 'Why's that?'

Prue shrugged. 'Am I not allowed to face a potential warlock with one of my sisters by my side?'

'I guess so,' said Paige. However, Paige was not convinced by Prue's tone. Prue had another reason for wanting Paige to go with her, but Paige had no idea what it was.

* * *

Prue and Paige were walking into Bucklands Auction House. They made their way up to the correct floor and then walked along the corridor. As they did this, Prue glanced at Paige's gloved hands.

'Are you still having that blue tint trouble?' asked Prue, breaking the silence that had consisted of their journey there.

Paige nodded. 'It's on and off though. It seems to only happen when I get stressed, I think.'

'Hmm…' said Prue. 'Emotions affect it… My telekinesis is affected by emotions…'

'Are you trying to suggest that I could be developing a… a power?' asked Paige, surprised that she had not already thought of that herself.

Prue nodded in reply, but there was no smile to follow. Prue was evidently annoyed at Paige about something, but Paige had no clue what.

Prue came to a halt outside her old office. A name plate on the door that used to read '_Prue Halliwell_' now read '_Jack Sheridan_'.

'I can't believe they gave that jerk your old office,' said Paige.

Prue made no reply to Paige's remark. Prue pushed open the door and stormed into her former office. Paige followed. Jack stood up from his seat at his desk. He walked over to Prue and Paige.

'Hi there. Jack Sheridan. How may I help you?' Jack asked.

Prue raised an eyebrow. 'You have enough connections to go through my personal records and find my home phone number, but not enough connections to know what I look like?'

Jack's smile grew into a grin. 'Do I have the honour of meeting _the_ Prue Halliwell?' He held out a hand for Prue to shake. She refused to shake his hand.

'I am also the previous owner of this office which you have turned into an absolute tip,' said Prue, noting the fact that paperwork covered the desk and artefacts were placed randomly around the floor of the office.

Jack shrugged. 'What can I say? My work methods aren't traditional.'

Paige continued to watch the conversation without interrupting. _Why did Prue bring me with her? She doesn't need me here. She's handling this all by herself without any trouble. I could have easily went with Piper and Phoebe_, thought Paige.

Prue glanced at Paige for a second before turning back to Jack.

'So what brings you here, Prue?' asked Jack. 'You wanted to meet me in person after my phone call?'

Prue rolled her eyes. 'That's definitely not the reason.'

Jack smiled. 'So what was the reason?'

'Just thought I'd meet who Bucklands replaced me with in person,' said Prue.

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'So in other words: You wanted to meet me in person after my phone call.'

'I have had enough of this,' muttered Prue. Noticing a cactus that happened to be placed in the corner of the room, Prue said, 'That's the best you can do for making the room seem less corporate?'

Jack wandered over to the cactus as he said, 'It was actually a welcome gift.'

Prue nodded. 'I see.' She casually waved a couple of her fingers and a small spine detached from the cactus, piercing Jack in the hand.

'Ow!' said Jack, looking at his hand and slowly pulling out the cactus' spine.

'You must have put your hand too close to the cactus,' said Prue.

'He's bleeding, Prue,' Paige piped up.

This stating-of-the-obvious led to Prue giving Paige an annoyed look before Prue turned back to Jack. Paige sighed. Prue was definitely annoyed at her about something. There was no doubting that.

Jack was still nursing his hand, acting a little like a wounded puppy. Prue was not giving him any sympathy though.

'Sorry, Jack, but I have to go. I have other business to attend to,' said Prue.

'Are you not going to introduce your quiet friend?' Jack asked Prue.

Prue sighed. 'Jack, this is my… sister, Paige.' Paige noticed the hesitation. She furrowed her brow, staring at Prue. However Jack had evidently not noticed the hesitation as he held his hand out for Paige to shake.

'Nice to meet you, Paige,' said Jack, shaking her hand. 'Gloves. Fancy.'

Prue and Paige turned to leave. As they left the office, they heard Jack say: 'Nice meeting you in person, Prue. Though I am sure I have seen that outfit before.'

Prue ignored Jack's remark. However Paige hoped that Jack would take that remark no further as she had realised why he had recognised it. Prue was currently wearing a pink sleeveless top, black trousers, and high heels.

_Phoebe must have borrowed that outfit from Prue's wardrobe the day that we came here to steal the wand from Jack_, thought Paige. Jack was not a warlock, so did not know they were witches, but if he made the connection between the two women that stole the wand and Prue, there may be problems in the near future.

* * *

As Prue and Paige made their way up the manor steps, Prue was purposefully walking a few paces ahead of Paige.

'Prue!' shouted Paige, who was at the bottom of the manor steps.

Prue had reached the porch, but turned around to see what Paige wanted. 'What?'

'What is up with you? You are obviously annoyed at me about something! I want to know what I have done to annoy you!' shouted Paige.

'Nothing's up. I am not annoyed at you. I am just… distracted,' said Prue.

'Prue, I wasn't born yesterday! What did I do? I don't understand why you wanted me to tag along with you if you were annoyed at me! Usually people want to be as far away as possible from the person that has annoyed them!' shouted Paige.

'Paige, I am not angry with you!' said Prue through gritted teeth.

'You are such a liar!' shouted Paige.

Prue made no reply. She unlocked the front door and stormed into the manor. Paige took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm down before following her eldest sister into the manor.

Paige found Prue with Piper, Phoebe, and a frozen guy – Paige assumed he must be Eric – in the kitchen. Eric was lying on the floor. Phoebe was in the middle of explaining everything to Prue. However Prue kept somehow butting in with the correct information throughout Phoebe's explanation, making Phoebe's explanation rather redundant. The bulk of the explanation referred to two warlocks known as Collectors being the ones that were after Eric and the Akashic records being involved. The Akashic records were a lost text that predicted all future events.

When Phoebe asked for the two eldest Halliwells to explain what was going on, Paige agreed, and the new explanation began. It appeared that Piper had also shown some psychic, all-knowing qualities – similar to that of Prue.

'Piper and I both thought we were dealing with warlocks: Piper with Dan, and me with Jack,' said Prue. 'We did not know about the pricking warlocks to see if they bleed thing so cast a... a hearing thoughts spell.'

Phoebe's eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile Paige went pale. Prue was annoyed with her about something. Had it been something she had thought about?

_What have I been thinking about that could have annoyed Prue? I know Derek's crossed my mind. Maybe she doesn't like the fact that I like him… Oh crap! She can probably hear me now!_ thought Paige, suddenly trying to stem her thoughts, which she realised was not probable.

'Yeah, Paige, I can hear you now,' said Prue matter-of-factly with an annoyed tone.

'Me too,' added Piper. 'If that's really what Prue was annoyed about, then I share that annoyance. We'll talk about that later though. We cannot forget about Eric or his warlock problems.'

Phoebe looked flustered. 'What are we supposed to be annoyed at Paige about?'

'Later,' said Piper.

Phoebe sat down on top of Eric. When she noticed Paige's expression, Phoebe blushed. 'I was holding him down before Piper froze him. I _have_ to get back into this position.'

Paige nodded slowly. Piper flicked her wrists and Eric unfroze. Prue and Piper casually left the kitchen while Phoebe and Eric shared a little banter. Choosing between following the sisters that were currently annoyed with her and staying in the kitchen interrupting the chemistry between Phoebe and Eric, Paige fled the kitchen in pursuit of Prue and Piper.

Paige found Prue and Piper up in the attic. They were looking through the Book of Shadows. No audible communication was occurring between the two, but Paige assumed they were communicating by thought.

'Hey,' said Paige quietly as she entered the attic.

'Paige, how can you like a dark lighter?' Piper asked with a disappointed tone, looking over at Paige.

Paige shrugged. 'It's not exactly my choice. Besides, you liked a warlock once.'

Piper rolled her eyes. 'I didn't know he was a warlock.'

'Yeah, but if he hadn't tried to kill you, Prue, or Phoebe, I bet you would have still liked him,' Paige pointed out.

Piper sighed in exasperation. 'The point is that he did try to kill us, because he was evil. Similarly as a dark lighter, Derek is evil. Do you see my point yet?'

'Piper's right, you know…' said Prue, not looking up from the Book. 'Derek could be dangerous.'

'He hasn't even visited me for over a month! How can you call him dangerous?' asked Paige, becoming more and more wound up by the second.

'Maybe he has not visited for a while because he is planning something,' said Piper.

'He does not even have any powers!' shouted Paige.

'That could be a lie,' said Prue. 'He could be trying to give you a false sense of security, making us think it is safe to put our guards down around him, so as he can try to defeat us. I mean, we are the Charmed Ones after all. What evil being doesn't want to be the one that gets the credit for killing the Charmed Ones?'

'He can touch the Book!' Paige added to her list of reasons not to be concerned.

'Paige, listen to Prue! It could all be a trick!' said Piper.

Paige rubbed her forehead in irritation. 'Would you guys listen to yourselves?' Paige orbed out in anger.

* * *

Paige was sitting on the roof of Halliwell manor. It was dangerous, she could have risked exposure by orbing up there, and she could still risk exposure when she made the decision to orb elsewhere. However, it was somewhere that she could sit and sulk for a while without her sisters imposing on her thoughts while being able to keep watch on the front drive in case her sisters decided to leave the manor for a warlock vanquish.

After a little while, Paige saw Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Eric leave the manor and get into Piper's jeep. Paige would have orbed straight onto the driveway, but she knew that Eric did not know about magic, and she did not want to expose it. Paige decided that she would wait for them to arrive at their destination and then sense for them. Then she could orb inconspicuously to that destination without exposing any magic.

Paige watched the jeep drive away. She tried to clear her mind as she was still a little disgruntled and annoyed at her sisters. Paige was pretty sure that when Phoebe was clued up on what Prue and Piper were annoyed at her about, Phoebe would also join in on the ranting; especially considering that Phoebe had already given Paige a talk about Derek that long ago day at the beach. Paige took a deep breath before making a second attempt at clearing her mind. She would worry about her three sisters ganging up on her later. For now she had to help them. Paige finally succeeded in clearing her mind enough for her to try and sense for their location.

Paige remained on top of the roof. Her eyes were now closed as she waited until her sisters had stopped at one location. After about ten minutes, her senses seemed to tell her that her sisters were at a hospital – not any old hospital, but the place that Phoebe volunteered at.

* * *

Paige orbed into a quiet corridor of the hospital. Following her senses she walked along the corridor. Paige frowned. She noticed that her senses were suddenly guiding her towards the hospital entrance. Paige suddenly broke into a run towards the hospital entrance, hardly noticing that most of the people around her were unconscious.

As Paige reached the hospital entrance, she saw Piper's jeep speeding off. Looking further down the street, Paige noticed Phoebe running after Eric.

Once again Paige found herself making a decision of who to follow. She could orb back to the manor – which was where she expected the jeep was heading – in pursuit of Prue and Piper, or Paige could run after Phoebe. However, Paige did not want to get in the way of Phoebe and Eric's obvious chemistry, so made the difficult decision to go back to the manor where she would once again be scrutinised by Prue and Piper.

Paige orbed straight into the attic of Halliwell manor. She decided to have an extra quick look at the Book of Shadows for information on the Collectors.

* * *

Ten minutes later the attic door opened. Prue and Piper were mid-conversation about fathers as they entered. They stopped when they saw Paige.

'Speaking of fathers… We've never met Paige's,' said Prue bitterly.

Paige remained by the Book, utterly stunned by the statement. 'Neither have I…'

Prue rolled her eyes. 'Not Mum's white lighter. I meant your adoptive father.'

Paige blushed. 'Oh… Yeah…'

Piper smiled slightly. 'We should really meet him one day.'

Paige shrugged and tried to change the subject without thinking about that person's identity considering the two mind readers in the room. 'So what did I miss at the hospital?'

'Oh, nothing much. The warlocks attacked and kidnapped Eric's father,' said Prue indifferently.

Paige narrowed her eyes. 'It's not my fault that I did not get there in time to help.'

'Yeah because disappearing in a strop is far more important than saving an innocent,' said Prue angrily. Prue glanced at the Book which Paige was standing by. 'Can I have a look at that?' When Paige refused to reply, Prue gestured at the Book and it telekinetically flew into her hands. Prue began to flick through the pages.

'What are we looking for?' asked Paige. She directed the question towards Piper who did not seem as annoyed at her as Prue.

'A way of saving Eric's father,' said Piper.

'We might not be able to do that though,' said Prue, not looking up from the Book. 'We may have to choose to save Eric instead of his father.' Prue came to a stop on a page. 'There's a spell to extract the information from Eric's head. That way the Collectors won't have any need to go after him.'

'The warlocks will kill his dad,' Piper said.

'I told you, Piper. We may have to choose Eric over his father,' Prue repeated.

Piper sighed. Paige shook her head. It was about time she stood her ground. She had been losing an argument against Prue all evening now, but she was not about to let the argument finish that way. She had to lose it (as in get really angry) in order to win it (as in the argument).

'No! No way, Prue! There is no way in hell that we are going to make that choice! I bet Piper agrees with me and Phoebe will too! We won't let the warlocks hurt either Eric or his father!' shouted Paige, completely losing it.

Prue glared at Paige and slammed the Book shut. Without saying a word, Prue stormed out of the attic. Piper and Paige exchanged glances.

'I guess you won the argument,' said Piper disappointedly.

Paige sighed. 'Yeah… I guess…' She definitely did not feel proud of her win.

* * *

**A/N:** I haven't forgotten Andy's predicament or his whereabouts. He will be making his next appearance in _P3 H20_. As to when the death thing will be resolved (leaving him either alive or dead), I have a specific episode that I want to do that in, which is approximately over half way through season two. Anyway, please review this chapter.


	23. They're Everywhere (And Taking Credit)

**A/N:** This chapter is very tense and high strung in terms of arguments. Hopefully there won't be another chapter like this one at all - or at least for a very long while. Apart from that, please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three: They're Everywhere (And Taking Credit)**

Phoebe and Eric had gotten back a few minutes earlier. Therefore, when Piper and Paige got to the kitchen, they were not surprised to find that Prue had already broken the news to Phoebe about the possibility of letting Eric's father die in order to save Eric.

'So much for suggesting I won that argument,' Paige muttered to Piper, as Prue was obviously pushing for her decision to be heard.

Piper sighed. 'Prue, we need to think everything through.'

'No, Piper! I am the only one thinking rationally here!' said Prue, annoyed that no one was taking her side now.

Phoebe laughed a little callously. 'Says the one who has been in a bad mood ever since she thought she was pregnant!'

'Hey! I never thought I was pregnant! That was you! Besides that has nothing to do with anything!' said Prue, glaring at Phoebe. 'If we're making accusations here: I cannot believe you are still stealing things from my wardrobe even though I don't live here anymore!'

Phoebe looked surprised at this remark. 'What? Who told you?' Phoebe glanced from Prue's outfit over to Paige. 'Did _you_ tell her?'

Paige held her hands up innocently. 'No! She must have heard me think about it when Jack commented on her outfit!'

'Exactly! Jack's probably suspicious about us now and it's your fault, Pheebs!' said Prue.

'We need to focus on Eric and his father!' Piper said loudly to get everyone's attention. 'No more arguing about outfit stealing, suspicious auction guys, or dangerous dark lighter boyfriends!'

'He's not my boyfriend!' Paige shouted.

'Yeah, but you want him to be your boyfriend!' countered Piper.

'What? When did that happen? Paige! I thought I spoke to you about this!' Phoebe put in.

'I stormed out midway through that conversation, remember, Pheebs?' said Paige.

Prue rolled her eyes. 'You love storming out mid-conversation when you don't get your way, don't you?'

'Hey! You of all people cannot moan at me about that! You did that just a few minutes ago when you weren't getting your way in the attic!' Paige pointed out.

'Oh please. This argument isn't worth my time,' said Prue. Prue stormed out of the kitchen.

_You just proved my point_, Paige thought.

'I heard that!' shouted Prue.

'That was the intention!' Paige yelled back.

Piper and Paige remained standing near the kitchen door, while Phoebe remained standing by the kitchen sink. The three sisters were all silent. Prue returned to the kitchen.

'Er, despite the fact that none of us are currently speaking to one another, I thought I should let you know that Eric just left,' said Prue.

Phoebe looked at Prue in shock. 'What? Why? Why didn't you stop him?'

'It does not matter why I did not stop him. What matters is that we need to go after him,' said Prue. 'I heard him thinking that he is going to Golden Gate Park.'

With those words, the sisters put aside their differences and left the manor. It was obvious that the warlocks must have contacted Eric and therefore they had to find him before the warlocks harmed him. Once they got to the park, the four sisters split up in their search for Eric.

When Paige finally found Eric, he was lying on the ground next to Phoebe. Prue and Piper were halfway through vanquishing the two warlocks who exploded.

Paige sighed. 'How do I keep managing to miss _everything_?'

* * *

Later on back at the manor, after the reading thoughts spell had been reversed, the situation between three of the sisters was still a little tense. Due to being temporarily lobotomised by the warlocks, Phoebe had forgotten everything that had happened over the previous three weeks. Therefore she had forgotten about the fight that they had had prior to Eric's departure from the manor.

Breaking the long running silence, Prue said to Piper, 'I guess I have to admit that you were right about not cancelling out the possibility that we could actually save Eric's father too.'

Piper nodded. 'Sorry that I refused to listen to your opinion.'

Prue smiled weakly at Piper. Paige decided that it was her turn to speak.

'Prue, Piper… I cannot control my feelings for Derek, but nothing has ever happened between the two of us and I doubt anything ever will, okay? I mean, the chances of a witch falling for a dark lighter are more likely than a dark lighter falling for a witch,' said Paige, refusing to look at her sisters.

'Sorry! What? You actually like Derek?' said a flustered Phoebe. 'Paige! I thought we spoke about this that day at the beach!'

Paige smiled feebly at Phoebe. 'We did. You said almost that exact same thing when you found out that I liked him during the fight earlier.'

'Oh,' said Phoebe.

'Paige, all I can say is that if we see Derek around here again, we will vanquish him,' said Piper seriously. 'He was born a dark lighter and always will be one.'

Prue did not say anything on the matter. She staid silent.

'Is there anything I should be apologising for?' Phoebe asked, clueless as to what her involvement in the argument had been.

'For stealing Prue's outfit the other week. She, er, found out,' said Paige.

'Oh, and for blaming Prue's outbursts on the pregnancy subject,' added Piper.

Phoebe's eyes widened in shock. 'Prue's pregnant?' Before anyone had the chance to reply, Phoebe was already smiling and dishing out more questions. 'So do we know the gender? When's the baby due? Andy's the father, right?'

Prue had become a little tenser. The possibility that she actually had wanted to find out she was pregnant those couple of weeks ago seemed to be confirming itself in Prue's current demeanour.

'Come on, Prue,' said Phoebe delightedly. 'Answer me.'

'I'm not pregnant,' said Prue, a little uncomfortably.

To try and lighten the atmosphere a little, Piper added, 'Did you ask whether it was Andy? If she was pregnant, who else would be the father?'

'It could have been Leo for all I know,' joked Phoebe.

No one took it as a joke. Considering that Leo was Paige's adoptive father, she did not find the joke funny at all. Considering that Leo was her ex boyfriend, Piper did not find the joke humorous. Prue was not in a mood to find it funny at all.

After another brief pause, Prue said, 'I was thinking that I should move back here for a while…'

All three younger sisters replied with the same reaction: 'What? Why?'

Prue sighed. 'I need to be here for you three. It's not fair for me to continually ask Paige or Leo to orb me here and back there.'

'What about Andy?' asked Piper.

'He will understand,' said Prue.

'Where would you stay though? There are not enough rooms and we cannot let you sleep in the attic or the living room,' said Phoebe.

'I will move to the attic,' said Piper. 'You can have my room… Your old room.'

'No,' said Prue. 'I was thinking… Paige could move back in with her adoptive dad… If that is okay with her… I would take her current room at the manor…'

Paige shook her head, not wanting to let them know that her adoptive dad had no place of residence. Although Paige could tell that Prue was still annoyed at her – especially considering Prue's blatant request to ask Paige to move out of the manor – Paige found herself obligated to reveal a surprise for Prue that Phoebe and Paige had been planning ever since they found out about Prue's flying issues. Considering the fact that Phoebe would not remember the surprise, Paige decided that it was now her job to tell Prue.

'No one needs to move out. You can stay in Portland,' said Paige.

Prue narrowed her eyes. 'Did you not understand my words just now? I cannot keep travelling back and forth…'

'By plane or orb. I know and you won't have to,' said Paige.

'What do you mean?' asked Phoebe.

Paige smiled. 'You can take some credit, Pheebs, even if you don't remember. This was your idea too.'

Phoebe frowned. 'I don't want to take any credit until I know what it is.'

Paige laughed. 'Follow me to the attic.'

* * *

Once all four sisters were in the attic, Paige pulled a scrap of paper out of a cabinet drawer.

'For the last couple of weeks, Phoebe and I have been working on a spell,' began Paige. 'We decided that since you cannot keep flying back and forth… And the fact that Leo and I cannot keep orbing you between here and there: Leo will only orb you for witchy business and I am now too busy because I have a full time job…' Paige paused to take in the joy of hearing herself say that. She had something to do with her life now, something that involved no magic.

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'A spell? Isn't that personal gain?'

'It must be. Why else would Phoebe be involved?' said Prue.

'Hey! I don't even know if I am taking credit for this yet!' said Phoebe. Phoebe turned to Paige. 'So what's the spell?'

Paige smiled. 'Like I said, Prue needs to keep going to and from here and Portland. Phoebe and I decided to try and make up a spell. We hadn't tested it out yet, but hopefully it will…'

'What is it?' Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all asked.

Paige laughed. 'Does this mean you want to take some credit for it, Pheebs?'

'Can you just cast the spell already?' asked an impatient Phoebe.

'No. Don't cast it. Tell us what it is,' said Piper.

'I keep telling you… It's a method to allow Prue to get here without the use of a plane or orbing,' explained Paige.

Paige turned around to face the only blank wall in the attic. There were no cabinets or antiques or furniture blocking this wall. Paige took a deep breath before beginning to recite the spell: '_Open a portal as a doorway, so as between San Francisco and Portland step we may. P.S. This spell will refrain, from any personal gain_.' As Paige finished reading it out loud, she glanced over at Phoebe. 'A personal gain disclaimer in the spell? Really, Pheebs?'

Phoebe shrugged. 'I don't remember writing it, remember?'

Suddenly a door appeared in the blank wall. Paige stepped back a little so as Prue, Piper, and Phoebe could stare at it in awe.

'This is _so_ personal gain…' muttered Piper.

'Does that lead to where I think it does..?' Prue asked Paige.

'If it does lead to where I think it does, then I think I will take some credit for it…' said Phoebe, smiling.

'Open the door. See if it worked,' said Paige.

Prue approached the door and slowly opened it. On the other side of the door, the living room of Prue and Andy's house was visible.

'It's a nice place, Prue,' said Piper.

Prue smiled. 'Thanks. Go ahead and take a look around.'

'I can't right now,' said Piper. 'I was going to meet up with Dan.' She said this with a little embarrassment.

Phoebe frowned. 'Dan? Since when? Good choice, Piper! He's been giving you the puppy dog look for a long time now!'

Paige rolled her eyes. 'You really are meeting up with him a lot before your official date.'

Piper blushed. 'Do you think I should do this? What if he is only my rebound guy?'

'Piper, I would assume I have already given you my opinion. I think it would have run along the lines of: Go for it!' said Phoebe. 'It's all up to you now.'

'What about Leo, though?' said Piper. 'Should I worry about him?'

'Of course,' said Phoebe.

'But… Prue said…' began Piper.

Prue spoke up. 'I have changed my piece of advice.'

All three younger sisters turned to look at Prue.

'Forget about Leo,' Prue continued. 'He isn't worth it. Go and see Dan.'

Piper hesitated a little before nodding and leaving the attic. Meanwhile Phoebe ventured through the portal door into Prue's living room. Phoebe quickly called back to Prue and Paige: 'I will definitely take some credit for this!'

Prue was about to go through the portal door after Phoebe, but Paige stopped her. Prue shut the door and turned to Paige. The two of them were alone in the attic now.

'Thanks for this… I guess… Let's hope there are no personal gain consequences…' said Prue, not looking Paige in the eyes.

'I did not stop you for a thank you…' said Paige. 'I stopped you, because we need to talk.'

Prue furrowed her brow and looked at Paige. 'About what?'

'You pretty much just tried to kick me out of the manor with your 'moving out' suggestion, so I think you know what about…' mumbled Paige.

'Oh… That…' said Prue.

'Yes, that,' said Paige. 'This goes beyond you being annoyed at me about liking Derek.'

'What are you accusing me of?' asked Prue.

'I am not accusing you of anything. I am trying to ask a question,' said Paige.

'Ask away,' said Prue.

'You wanted me out of the manor, because you suddenly do not trust me! You wanted me to go to Bucklands with you instead of to help Piper and Phoebe, because you do not trust me!' said Paige. 'When did that start? We are sisters! Since when do you not trust your own sister?'

Prue sighed. 'Paige, I don't not trust you… As you said, we are sisters… I can't not trust my own sister… It's just… You know everything about Piper, Phoebe, and me… We know little to nothing about your life outside of… outside of what we know… I mean, we only hear about snippets of your life from before last year when it is necessary for saving an innocent… I just feel like we know nothing about you…'

Paige sighed. Of all the answers she had been expecting, that was not it. 'Prue, look… I never really thought… I don't know… I never tend to think about that stuff… There's a lot more interesting stuff to find out about in the Halliwell family than the family that I grew up with…'

'That doesn't mean we don't want to know about your past, Paige,' said Prue.

Paige sighed again. 'I guess I can open up about my past…' Then she added as a thought, _That is except for the identity of my adoptive dad_.

'Good. Can we start by meeting your adoptive dad?' asked Prue.

Paige was hesitant at first. _I guess I can work up a lie around that_, she thought. 'Sure, Prue,' Paige said, smiling. 'What's your part in this deal?'

'I will stop being so harsh towards you…' said Prue. After a brief pause, Prue added, 'So we've got ourselves a deal, then?'

'Deal,' said Paige. She held out her right hand for Prue to shake, putting the scrap of paper down on a nearby table in the process.

Prue was staring at the scrap of paper and then looked over at Paige's right hand. 'I don't think I should chance shaking that.'

'Huh?' said Paige. She looked down at her right hand. She had been wearing gloves all day due to the blue tint issue; however Paige was no longer wearing a glove on her right hand.

Paige looked around to where she had placed the scrap of paper. There was a huge hole in the scrap of paper as well as a green splodge stuck to the remains of the paper as if her glove had melted onto it.

'H – How?' stammered Paige, not taking her eyes away from the paper.

'We did say that your new power could be connected to your emotions and you did just spend the last few minutes yelling at me about how I have acted towards you today,' Prue pointed out.

'Yes… but… How did I..?' Paige trailed off as she looked at her right hand. There was no longer a blue tint on her skin. She took off the left glove to see that her left hand was also normal.

'I really have no idea what this power of yours is, Paige,' said Prue. 'It looks like you must channel it through your hands though.'

'I guess so,' muttered Paige.

Prue had reopened the portal door that would lead to her house. 'Are you coming?'

Paige looked over at Prue. Paige shook her head. 'You go ahead. I think I will call Leo for advice about this power thing.'

Prue nodded and turned away to leave. 'I almost forgot that you treat him practically like family… If he was not technically in his late twenties, anyone would think he was your father…'

As she said those words, Prue went through the door, closing it behind her. Paige stared at the door, temporarily forgetting about her power predicament, wondering whether Prue had meant anything by those words…

_Does she know?_ thought Paige. _There's no way that she knows. No, she doesn't. She can't. There's no way. Of course she doesn't know_.

* * *

**A/N:** In the canon version of this episode, it was three weeks after Halloween, according to what Phoebe remembered after her memory was wiped. However, as _Ms. Hellfire_ is set on a Friday the 13th, and the only Friday the 13th in 1999 is August, I decided to leave out Phoebe's Halloween mention in this episode. Please review!

The adoptive dad invite to the manor thing won't be mentioned again until _Ms. Hellfire_. That is only because of what episode is next. I want it to be all about Sam.


	24. P3 H20 (And Counting Down The Hours)

**A/N:** The next few chapters are written in a different style to normal. It should be relatively easy to follow. I had been looking forward to this episode for so long - this was my next favourite to write a 'Paige Wyatt' version of after _Morality Bites_. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of _P3 H20_!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four: P3 H20 (And Counting Down The Hours)**

Paige stood almost paralysed in fear standing at the start of the dock. Her feet were still on dry land. A frozen Leo and frozen Andy stood beside her. Both men had been frozen mid-run. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Sam were standing at the other end of the dock. Sam was halfway through the process of being electrocuted by the power cables in his hands while being engulfed by a surge of water.

Paige had only met her real father less than two hours earlier and there was nothing she could do to save him.

* * *

**27 hours earlier**

It had been a little under a week since the portal door had appeared in the attic as a method of getting to and from Portland. The portal door had been put to a lot of use. It was almost as if both the manor and the Portland house had been given extensions.

Andy had been a little reluctant about it at first, when he had found an extra door suddenly in his living room, but after a little persuasion from Prue, he had accepted the strangeness of it all.

On finding out about the portal door, Leo had been ticked off and the 'personal gain' phrase had been brought up a few times. However Paige had quickly distracted Leo with her new power predicament.

After putting all the facts together – which included the emotional trigger, the burnt paper, and the melted glove – Leo had suggested that it could be some sort of acidic based power. However until Paige exhibited the power again, there would be no way to tell for sure.

Unfortunately for Paige, she had not exhibited the power again. She had been focusing on trying to get the power to show itself. However, all this extra stress and concentration on her witch side had caused Paige's white lighter powers to play up.

For example, during a demon fight at the manor, orbing out of the way of a fireball had resulted in Paige orbing into the basement instead of to the other side of the attic where the fight was taking place. She also found that she was no longer able to use her white lighter senses or glamour. Leo had reassured Paige that this was most likely temporary, as it was obvious that she was trying to channel any magic into exhibiting her active witch power.

On a particular Wednesday morning, Paige was getting ready to go to work. Paige was standing in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. Piper was sitting at the kitchen table, eating her own cereal while on the phone to Dan.

Phoebe came walking into the kitchen and sat down next to Piper at the kitchen table, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. For the next few minutes the only noise in the kitchen – other than the noise of eating cereal and spoons clattering against bowls – was the sound of Piper chattering away on the phone.

Despite her initial hesitance of whether or not to date Dan, their relationship had fast become close. Prue and Phoebe had been quite glad to see Piper happy with Dan. Paige was happy that her sister was happy, but Paige hated the effects it was having on Leo. It was obvious that he was not only jealous, but also slightly heart broken.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged slightly awkward glances. Both felt like they were intruding on half a private conversation by sitting in the same room as Piper.

All of a sudden, Piper said into the phone, 'Just a second, Dan. Someone's on the other line.'

Phoebe and Paige suddenly looked over at Piper, wondering who else had just phoned the manor. Piper pressed a button on the receiver before putting it back to her ear.

'Hello?' said Piper. After a pause, Piper added, 'Oh hi! Why are you phoning? Just come on over!' There was another pause while Piper listened to the person on the other end of the line. 'Okay. See you in two minutes.' Before Phoebe or Paige could ask who it was, Piper had pressed a button on the receiver and was speaking to Dan again: 'Hey Dan. Sorry about that. I have to go now. Yeah. I'll call you back. Bye.'

Piper pressed another button on the receiver, hanging up. She looked up at Phoebe and Paige who were staring at her waiting for an explanation.

Piper put the phone down on the table and said, 'That was Andy. He wants to speak to us about something. It sounded important.'

'Why did he phone? There's a door upstairs that will bring him straight here,' said Phoebe.

'He didn't want to intrude,' explained Piper.

Andy suddenly came running into the kitchen, panting a little.

'Andy, what's wrong?' Paige asked. 'Where's Prue?'

'That's what my question was going to be,' said Andy, catching his breath a little.

'She's not in Portland?' said Piper, suddenly worried.

Andy shook his head. 'She's not at the house and has not been answering her phone. I was hoping she would be here.'

'She's not here,' said Phoebe, slightly worried. Phoebe turned to Paige and said, 'Can you sense her?'

Paige took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After trying to sense her sister for over a minute, Paige frowned. 'I can't, but that's not a surprise. Ever since I have been focusing on trying to activate that witch power, my white lighter powers have been a little off.' Paige tried to ignore the fact that the other reason could be due to the fact that Prue was in the underworld.

'We could always go and scry for her,' said Piper. 'She could be in San Francisco or Portland, so we need some Portland maps.'

'If you don't have one, I could always pop back and get one from the house,' said Andy.

Paige bit her lip and looked at her watch. It was getting late and she needed to get to work. Phoebe had obviously noticed Paige's dilemma, because Phoebe said, 'Paige, go to work. We will phone you with news about Prue's whereabouts when we know.'

'No, I'll stay. I can always phone in sick,' said Paige.

Piper shook her head. 'We don't want you losing your job. Go to work.'

Paige sighed. 'Okay, but you better phone me!'

Paige went to pick up Prue's car keys while Piper, Phoebe, and Andy rushed up to the attic. Paige could not find Prue's car keys anywhere and when she took a quick look outside she noticed Prue's car was gone.

Taking note of that, Paige ran all the way up to the attic. Piper had placed a map of Portland on the table and was already dangling a crystal over it.

'Her car's gone! She must be somewhere in San Francisco!' said Paige, panting a little from the run up two sets of staircases.

Phoebe quickly picked up a map of San Francisco and placed it over the Portland map, so as Piper could continue scrying right away.

Phoebe looked up at Paige. 'Prue's probably just gone for a drive. She's probably fine. Take Piper's car. We will phone you.'

Paige sighed. Since her white lighter powers had been acting up recently, orbing was out of the question. 'What if you need Piper's jeep to go looking for Prue?'

'I will drive you there in Piper's jeep,' Andy suggested. 'That way I can bring it straight back here.'

Piper and Phoebe simultaneously nodded – agreeing with the proposition – not looking up from the map that the crystal was rotating over. 'Make sure to phone me!' Paige said before reluctantly leaving the attic with Andy.

* * *

**25 hours to go**

Paige had been sitting in the office for a couple of hours filling out paperwork. She was constantly distracted by the fact that her phone had not rang yet. Paige was constantly staring at it, while scribbling notes on the paperwork, not caring about whether the notes made any sense.

Due to some annoying reason, her phone had no network signal within the building. Paige was hoping that her sisters would find some other way to contact her to let her know that everything was okay.

* * *

**22 hours to go**

It was her lunch break and Paige wanted to go out for lunch to try and get some signal on her phone. However Lila stopped Paige before she was able to leave for her lunch break.

'Hi Paige,' said Lila. 'I am about to have a meeting with a client. Would you like to observe it?'

Paige hesitated. She had to make a decision between going on a lunch break to get information on Prue's whereabouts or bettering her career by observing a meeting with a client.

'I hate to rush you, Paige, but missing one lunch break won't kill you,' said Lila, noticing Paige's hesitation. 'Mr. Cowan won't let me offer you another chance to observe a meeting for a little while if you turn this one down.'

Paige sighed, finally coming to a decision. 'Okay. I will sit in.' Then she thought as a way to reassure herself: _If there was anything majorly bad going on, they would have sent Leo here to get me_.

* * *

**18 hours to go**

After a long day of paperwork, observing a meeting, more paperwork, and staring at her signal-less phone, Paige hastily made her way out of the office. When she exited the front entrance into the fresh evening air, Paige looked at her phone straight away.

The signal came back as soon as she was a little further away from the building. After being given the chance to reconnect to a satellite and receive any missed calls, Paige's phone began to beep. The phone flashed up saying '_5 missed calls_'. Each missed call was accompanied by a voicemail message. Paige quickly dialled her voicemail and listened.

Voicemail message number one occurred at nine in the morning (half an hour after Paige had settled down at work): 'Hey Paige. It's Piper. We are just phoning to say that Prue's fine. She was at the docks all morning by a camp that we used to go to. We'll explain the rest later. Oh and look out for my jeep when you finish. One of us will be picking you up just after five o'clock.'

Voicemail message number two occurred at ten in the morning: 'Hiya Paige. It's Phoebe. Er… It looks like there's a demon present at the camp… We are still here. If you get the chance to ditch work, do it. We know how you don't like being left in the blank about this sort of thing. Bye.'

Voicemail message number three occurred at half two in the afternoon: 'Hey Paige. It's Piper again. Here's a break down of everything going on: This is difficult to say over the phone, but it involves Mum's death; the water demon; the camp; and a strange man… and – Leo? What are you doing here? Oh, sorry, Leo's just turned up. I didn't mean to say it had anything to do with him. Anyway I better find out what he wants. Get to the camp if you can get out of work. Bye.'

Voicemail message number four occurred a few minutes after the previous call: 'Paige. We have just found something out about the strange man that Piper mentioned in her last call. It's rather easy to put two and two together once you get his full name. Paige, you really need to meet hi –' Prue's voice was interrupted by a scream in the background. '– Oh, that was Mrs Johnson! I have to go! Pick up your phone, Paige!'

Voicemail message number five occurred at three o'clock: 'Hi Paige. This is Andy. Do you know where your sisters are? I kind of got separated from them at the camp… Oh, I have just found the man they were talking to earlier. I might ask him. Sorry for interrupting your day at work.'

Paige looked down at her phone as she finished listening to the last message. That was a lot to take in for five minutes worth of messages. Firstly Prue was fine and had only been at some camp. By the sounds of it, Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had met up with her. Then they found a demon at that same camp and it sounded like the demon was the same demon that had killed their mother. Leo turned up to help her sisters out or something along those lines. Then they spoke to some strange man and there was something that made Prue think Paige needed to know more about him. At one point, Andy got separated from Paige's sisters, but met up with the man again who probably helped.

That's all Paige could gather from the contents of the voicemail messages. Paige looked up at the emptying car park, looking around for Piper's jeep. She looked at her watch. It was getting close to half past five now as she had left work a little late. Piper's jeep was nowhere to be seen.

Hoping that the demon stuff had gone okay, Paige decided to phone her sisters. First she tried Prue's phone, then Piper's phone, and then Phoebe's phone. Each phone went to their respective answering machines after ringing for a little while. Paige became worried. She tried phoning the manor next. That also went to its answering machine after a minute of ringing with no answer. Paige even tried Andy's phone and their Portland house phone. There was still no answer.

Becoming extremely concerned now, Paige called out loud, not caring that people who were passing her by on the nearby street would stare: 'Leo!'

After a minute or two, Paige heard the faint jingling of orbs in a nearby secluded alley. Turning around to face the alley, Paige saw Leo walking around to the front of the building where she stood.

'Did you call?' asked Leo.

'Yes! I cannot get a hold of anyone on their phones! After the messages I was left in regards to what happened today, I was getting worried,' said an aggravated Paige.

'Calm down a little, Paige,' said Leo, taking a quick glance at Paige's hands for any change that could show her powers exhibiting due to the emotion. There was no change. 'If your sisters were injured or in trouble, I would know. They are fine. My senses are telling me Piper and Phoebe are at the manor and that Prue is at her house. I will orb you there now if you want.'

'Well, seeing as no one seems to be giving me a lift home, that would be handy,' said Paige, relaxing a little. As Paige followed Leo into the secluded alley, she added, 'Would you like to tell me the details of the day? I know you were there at one point.'

Leo sighed. 'I will tell you at the manor.'

'Okay,' said Paige, taking Leo's hand as he orbed the two of them there.

* * *

**17 hours to go**

When Paige and Leo appeared in the dimly lit living room of Halliwell manor, everything seemed too quiet. Knowing that something could be wrong, Paige and Leo made their way upstairs quickly but quietly.

Paige found herself running into Phoebe's room first. Phoebe was fast asleep on her bed. Paige frowned. It was only six in the evening, but she assumed that maybe the demon vanquish had been tiring, so left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

As Paige wandered into the hallway, she saw Leo standing at Piper's bedroom door, looking inside. Paige approached Leo. He turned around and shut the bedroom door.

'She's asleep,' Leo whispered to Paige.

'So's Phoebe,' whispered Paige. 'Should we be concerned that this could be some sort of magic? A sleeping spell? A sleeping curse?'

Leo shook his head. 'If it were caused by evil, they would have killed them by now.'

Paige nodded, understanding Leo's logic. 'How about Prue and Andy?'

'I'll orb to their house and check on them,' said Leo.

'Or we could go into the attic and use the portal door,' whispered Paige, smiling as she saw Leo grimace. He hated that portal door. 'Orbing it is.'

Paige took Leo's hand and he orbed them into Prue's living room. The Portland house was just as quiet as Halliwell manor. Paige and Leo ascended the stairs. When they opened the main bedroom door, they found Prue and Andy fast asleep on their bed.

Paige turned to Leo. 'Are you sure we shouldn't be worried that everyone is sleeping at gone six in the evening?'

Leo sighed. 'I will keep watch here all night unless I get called by a charge. You keep watch at Halliwell manor. If it is the work of anything evil, we will be there to protect them.'

Paige nodded. 'Okay.' She paused for a second before saying, 'Does this mean I have to wait before you talk to me about what happened today?'

'It is best that you keep your eye on your sisters,' said Leo.

Paige nodded again. 'Okay.' She headed for the stairs as she made her way to the living room to find the portal door back to the manor.

* * *

**3 hours to go**

Paige had fallen asleep in the upper hallway of Halliwell manor. She had been trying to stay up, so had based herself on the hallway floor, between Piper and Phoebe's bedrooms. However sleep must have engulfed her during the early hours of the morning, because the next thing Paige remembered was waking up to:

'Paige. Paige. Paige. Paige. Paige.'

Paige opened her eyes and looked up from her seat on the floor. Phoebe was standing over her and held out a hand for Paige to take. Paige was holding her phone in her left hand, but took Phoebe's hand with her right. With the help of Phoebe, Paige got to her feet.

'You're awake,' said Paige, smiling, taking note of the fact that Phoebe was still in the same outfit as the day before.

'That's what my next line was supposed to be,' said Phoebe. 'What were you doing asleep out here? You have a bedroom, you know.'

Paige rubbed her eyes. 'I was keeping an eye out for you and the other sleepy head. What happened yesterday? What were all those phone calls about?'

Phoebe's expression became one of confusion. 'What do you mean 'what happened yesterday'?'

'I mean exactly that… What happened yesterday?' said Paige.

Piper's bedroom door opened briskly as Piper came running out dressed in the same outfit as the previous day.

'Why was I asleep in what I can only presume is yesterday's outfit?' Piper asked when she noticed her two sisters in the hallway.

Phoebe looked down at her own outfit. 'I guess for the same reason that I did not change last night before going to sleep.'

Paige eyed her two older sisters. 'You don't remember what happened yesterday?'

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks before turning back to Paige and shaking their heads.

'Do you remember what happened yesterday?' Piper asked, scratching her arm. 'Care to give us the cliff notes version?'

Paige rolled her eyes. 'I wasn't there! I was at work! Damn! I really wanted to find out what your phone calls were about!'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige suddenly looked towards the attic steps when they heard hurried feet on the floor above. Following the slamming of the attic door, Prue and Andy came running down the stairs. They were also still wearing their previous day's outfits (Paige assumed Prue was, considering Paige never actually saw her, but everyone else was currently wearing what they had been wearing the day before).

'Does anyone know what's going on?' Prue asked. 'I cannot remember one thing about yesterday!'

'What Prue said,' said Andy, instead of repeating his wife.

'Wasn't Leo there to explain everything to you?' Paige asked.

'He was about to, but then he sensed that some charge was injured so had to orb off,' said Prue. 'He said to go here for answers.'

Paige rolled her eyes, dropping her hands to her sides in anger. 'Well, that's just great! We have four people suffering from memory loss, one absent white lighter, and a sister that was not there to witness anything that happened yesterday!'

'Er, Paige,' said Piper, her eyes widening.

'What? I don't think this sucky day can get any worse! Apart from the fact that I am probably going to be late to work, but you know what? I don't care!' ranted Paige.

'Er, Paige…' said Phoebe, who had now noticed what Piper had noticed.

'What? If you are about to tell me that you were all playing a prank on me and faking this memory loss thing then all I can tell you is that it's not funny!' Paige continued to complain.

'Paige…' said Andy, stepping back a little as he noticed what Piper and Phoebe were going on about.

'What? Will you guys stop saying my name and just say what's on your minds! What?' said Paige, waving her hands around in frustration.

'Paige!' said Prue, grabbing both of Paige's arms between each wrist and elbow. 'Look at your hands!'

Paige paused from her angry rants to stare at her hands. Each of Paige's hands were covered in a blue and white glow of orbs. The phone that Paige had kept a hold of in her left hand looked as if it had been melted down by something acidic.

'Well, there goes any chances of refreshing your memories with the voicemail messages on my phone,' muttered Paige, staring at her hands in awe.

* * *

**A/N:** I just want to make it clear that although there are blue and white orbs associated with the visual description of Paige's new power, it is still a witch power and not a white lighter ability. It's more like her white lighter side interferes with her witch powers (like the telekinetic orbing explanation in the canon show). In a way, her power could be similar to a dark lighter's Touch of Death, but it actually has nothing to do with that - or at least that was not what inspired me for the power choice. Sam _will_ make an actual appearance in the next chapter, other than being labelled as the 'strange man' via voicemail messages. Please review!


	25. P3 H20 (And High Emotionality)

**Chapter Twenty Five: P3 H20 (And High Emotionality)**

**2.5 hours to go**

Paige dropped her phone to the floor as she stared at her hands. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had all taken a step back from Paige, as her hands were still glowing with blue and white orbs.

'Well, I guess we did say that I needed to get highly emotional to trigger this power again,' said Paige.

'If that is a witch power, it looks like your white lighter side is interfering with it, hence the blue and white orbs,' said Prue.

Phoebe frowned. 'Everyone gets a cooler active power than me!'

Piper sighed, scratching her face. 'Sorry, Paige, but I don't think we can cover your hands up with gloves this time for you to go to work.'

'Good, because I am not going today! We are going straight to that camp!' said Paige.

Prue raised her eyebrows. 'What camp?'

'I don't know,' said Paige. 'I only heard about it on the phone from you guys. I think Piper said something about a camp that you used to go to…'

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged glances.

'The only camp that we used to go to was… Skylark,' said Prue.

'That's where…' Piper paused to scratch her arm again. 'That's where Mum…'

'You don't have to finish the sentence. You said it had something to do with the demon involved in… you know… how she died,' said Paige tenderly.

The doorbell suddenly rang. Piper ran downstairs to answer it, scratching all over as she descended the steps.

'Is Piper okay?' Paige asked, referring to the scratching.

'If we really did go to the camp yesterday, then Piper could have gotten poison ivy,' said Phoebe. 'I remember Prue getting that once.'

'At least this means I am not the only sister you guys want to avoid at the moment,' said Paige, managing to smile a little.

'I think I would rather take the risk of getting poison ivy than acidified,' said Phoebe. 'No offense, Paige.'

Paige scowled for a second before sighing. 'I guess you're right.'

'Okay. We need a memory boost and the only way is to get the one person who hasn't forgotten anything to get back here!' said Prue determinedly.

'Er, what about my..?' Paige trailed off, referring to her currently blue and probably acidic hands.

'We'll worry about that later. Just don't… don't touch anyone or anything until it dies down for now,' instructed Prue. Then looking up at the ceiling, Prue began to shout: 'Leo!'

This was immediately followed by Piper shouting from downstairs: 'He's down here!'

Prue, Phoebe, Paige, and Andy made their way downstairs. Prue reached the foyer first. She quickly pushed Paige back up the stairs to the upper hallway before Paige could even reach the foyer.

Prue and Paige were now alone in the upper hallway.

'What was that for?' asked Paige. 'Am I not allowed downstairs?'

'Piper is speaking to Dan at the front door,' said Prue. 'I don't think we can explain your little visual power display to him without magical exposure.'

Paige sighed. 'Why won't this power just go away?'

'I think you need to relax,' said Prue. 'That might help.'

'Relax? Relax? With everything that has already happened this morning, I am finding it hard not to be stressed!' Paige hissed.

'Just wait here for now,' said Prue. 'I will go and see if Piper can get rid of Dan.'

Paige nodded. While Prue walked back down the stairs, Paige took a deep breath, trying to gain some control of the acidic power that currently would not go away.

'Paige! He's gone!' Prue shouted after a couple of minutes.

Paige took that as her cue to go down the stairs. She took the steps two at a time, making sure not to hold onto the railing as she went.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Andy were standing in the foyer. When Paige joined them, Prue decided to ask Leo the question.

'Leo, what happened yesterday?' asked Prue.

Leo frowned. 'You don't remember?'

'Well obviously not,' said Piper, rolling her eyes. 'Why else wouldn't we be at the lake that you orbed here to moan at us for not being at?'

'The lake? The one at the camp? Leo, we need you to tell us what happened yesterday!' said Prue.

Leo shook his head. 'Sam…'

'Sam? Sam… That sounds familiar,' said Phoebe.

Leo looked over at Phoebe. 'Good. Hopefully I can trigger your memory so as you remember. That camp needs shutting down today. Kids are already on their way and it's dangerous with the demon out there.'

'The demon… The demon that killed your mother…' said Andy, who was also beginning to remember now.

'Sam, he made us forget, didn't he?' said Piper, scratching her back.

'Oh yeah! Now I remember! You three made me stay behind in Sam's shack, while you went to check out why Mrs Johnson had screamed!' said Andy. 'I waited for a while, and then, when you did not come back, I went to look for you three… When I couldn't find you at the camp and noticed your car was gone, I phoned Paige to see if she knew… That's when I saw Sam. I went up to him to ask him and then…'

Leo nodded. 'Sam must have dusted you too.'

'Is Sam an innocent?' Paige asked the occupants of the foyer. Then she turned to Prue and added, 'Or… Is he the strange man that you said I need to meet?'

Prue furrowed her brow as she tried to remember that part. It was as if Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Andy all remembered at once, as they all suddenly stared at Paige with wide eyes.

'What? Is it my hands again?' asked Paige, becoming a little self conscious. Then she noticed Leo was avoiding any eye contact with her.

'Paige, Sam is… He's…' began Phoebe, but she did not know how to say it.

'Phoebe, we cannot just tell her,' said Prue. 'She has to meet him in person first.'

'Can one of you tell me, please?' yelled Paige, waving her hands around again. This caused everyone to take a step back again.

'I guess your power has finally displayed itself,' said Leo quietly, and still not making eye contact with Paige.

'Don't change the subject! Who is this Sam guy?' asked Paige.

'Paige, how many Sams do you know?' asked Piper innocently, scratching her shoulder.

Paige frowned. 'Well, I don't think I know any… I mean the only time any of us have mentioned a Sam is…' Paige trailed off as she realised. She put her hands to her face in shock.

'Paige! Careful!' shouted Phoebe, worried that Paige would injure herself due to her power.

Paige pulled her hands away from her face, unscathed. She had briefly forgotten about her acidic power, but fortunately it looked like the power had no effect on herself.

'Sam's my… He's my… You met my…' faltered Paige, unable to get a full sentence out.

Piper nodded. 'Apparently Leo knew he was there the whole time.'

Paige looked over at Leo, suddenly realising why he had been avoiding eye contact with her over the past five minutes. He had known the whole time where her real father was, but had not told her.

Paige scowled at Leo. 'You knew?'

Leo looked at the ground sheepishly. Not looking up, he said, 'You should be getting to the camp. Especially with all those kids on the way.'

'Let's go then,' said Phoebe, trying to break the tension, picking up her coat.

Prue did the same, passing Paige and Andy their coats. Paige's coat began to melt in her hands as she took hold of it. She dropped it to the ground.

'Er, I think I will be fine without a coat,' said Paige.

Piper went to grab her own coat, but Prue stopped her.

'You are not going anywhere,' said Prue.

'You are contagious,' said Phoebe. 'You have to stay here.'

After convincing Piper to stay behind in the company of Leo, the other four left the manor, getting into Prue's car. Prue did not want Paige destroying her car, so Paige reluctantly let Phoebe do her seat belt up for her. Paige felt like a little child.

* * *

**1.5 hours to go**

When Prue, Phoebe, Paige, and Andy turned up at the camp, they decided to split up. Prue and Paige were going to look for Sam. Meanwhile Phoebe and Andy were going to stop the kids from going in the water.

Andy would have partnered with Prue, but Prue had to see Sam because she wanted to confront him again and Paige had to because he was her father as well as the fact that she could not exactly walk into a room full of children with blue and white orbs glowing around her hands. Therefore that had left Phoebe and Andy as the two that would end up with the job of stopping the children.

Prue was walking quickly in the direction of Sam's shack. Paige was keeping up easily.

'Meeting your real dad is no excuse to stop us from meeting your adoptive dad,' said Prue as they walked.

'I know,' said Paige, whose heart was pounding at the idea that she was about to meet her real father. 'Can we not talk about him right now?'

'Sam?' said Prue, puzzled.

Paige shook her head. 'My adoptive dad. I am annoyed at him at the moment.'

Prue frowned. 'He knew and didn't tell you…'

'What?' said Paige, stopping to look at Prue in surprise.

Prue stopped too. Realising what she had said, Prue added, 'Oh, I was assuming you found something out that your adoptive dad did not want you to. It was only an assumption – I never really got along with my dad, so there is a whole list of things that could be the reason. That just seemed the most likely.'

Paige narrowed her eyes at Prue suspiciously. If she had not been so close to meeting her real father, the thought that had crossed her mind less than a week ago would have crossed her mind now: _Does she know?_ _There's no way that she knows. No, she doesn't. She can't. There's no way. Of course she doesn't know_.

'Come on. We have to find your dad,' said Prue, beginning to walk again. Paige followed.

* * *

**1.25 hours to go**

Not bothering to open the metal door manually, Prue swept her arm forward, causing the metal doors to burst open telekinetically. Sam looked up from sharpening his axe and muttered something about the fact that he should have given them a stronger dose.

Prue began to rant at Sam about his complete disregard for the safety of the children at the camp. Paige was not listening to one word that her sister was saying. Paige was too busy staring at her father from her position at the door. Paige's legs were feeling weak as nerves overwhelmed her. She gripped the door to keep herself steady.

Ever since she had learnt that her father was a white lighter named Sam Wilder, Paige had not really tried to imagine what he might look like. Leo had always been such a good father to her that she had never really felt the need to find him before. That was except for the time that Piper told Paige she had forgotten about when she found out who her father was. That was probably the only time that Paige had really wanted to look for him. Now that he stood not too far away from her, defending himself from the rants of the eldest Halliwell, Paige had no idea what to do.

Sam suddenly turned around, noticing Paige at the door. 'Hey! What are you doing to my door?'

Paige noticed that the area around where she had been gripping was now melting metal. Paige quickly let go, blushing a little.

'Sorry,' Paige uttered. _Great job. The first word my father ever hears me say is 'Sorry'. That's just great!_ Paige thought sarcastically.

'Don't talk to her like that,' Prue said to Sam angrily. 'You don't deserve to talk to her like that.'

Sam frowned. 'Your witch friend is wrecking my home, because she can't control her powers. Hasn't her white lighter taught her better?'

'Her white lighter is Leo and he does a great job. Thank you very much,' said Prue, scowling at Sam. Paige slowly entered the shack, stopping next to Prue, facing Sam. Prue continued, 'Besides her power is new and it is triggered by emotions, and everything you did yesterday and have done this morning has not helped.'

Sam looked puzzled. 'I have never even met her before!'

'She had to help us piece together what we had forgotten yesterday. She had to wait until we remembered for us to tell her who you are,' said Prue. 'Oh and by the way, you have met her before. At least, I hope you have. Or are you as much of a dead beat dad as mine? Or was Mum just a one night stand to you?'

'Woah! Prue!' interrupted Paige as she finally found her voice. 'Vent your father issues somewhere else!'

The words that Prue had expressed had gotten to Sam. He was now staring at Paige in disbelief. He took a few steps towards Paige. 'You… You're…'

Paige nodded and said quietly, 'Hi.'

Prue nodded. 'If you could let me borrow some of that forgetful dust, then I can leave the two of you alone to talk.'

Sam pulled a bag of the dust out of a nearby drawer. He handed the bag to Prue. Prue thanked him before rapidly leaving the shack to go and find Phoebe and Andy.

Sam offered Paige a chair to sit down on. Paige took a seat, making sure not to rest her blue-glowing hands anywhere. Sam took a seat opposite Paige.

'I guess I should have known when I heard that Leo was their white lighter,' said Sam, more to himself than to Paige.

'Was Prue right about you leaving Mum before I was born?' asked Paige, hoping that Prue's assumption was incorrect.

Sam shook his head. 'I was with Patty until the very end. It was a joint decision to give you up. We never wanted to, but we had to. It was for your safety as well as your sisters' safety.'

Paige nodded slowly. 'You left me with Leo…'

Sam nodded. 'We considered leaving you at a church, but in the end we decided that you would be better off in the care of a white lighter, specifically Leo.'

'Has he always known that it was you who left me on the doorstep?' asked Paige, addressing the fact that Leo had known where Sam was all this time and had not told her.

'No. Although he did come to find me a few months ago. He confronted me about my affair with Pa – your mother. He told me that you had found your sisters a while ago and that he had recently been alerted of the situation. With the promise that he would not tell the Elders, he asked me to tell him more about what had happened. His main interest seemed to be the idea of keeping a white lighter-witch relationship secret.'

'Piper,' Paige muttered under her breath.

'Excuse me?' asked Sam.

'Nothing,' said Paige. 'I wonder why he never told me that he knew where you were.'

'Maybe he knew that I did not deserve to meet you, Paige,' said Sam. 'Your sister is right. I am a dead beat father.'

Paige did not want to make a reply to that statement. She wanted to change the topic slightly, to something less depressing, but something that would allow her to learn more about him. 'How long have you been a white lighter?'

'I have not been one since I clipped my wings when I was unable to save your mother,' said Sam.

Paige's eyes widened. 'You're mortal now?'

Sam nodded. 'I have remained here ever since the day I lost your mother.'

Paige's eyes were tearing up a little. She did not want to show any signs of weakness in front of the father she had only just met, so she tried to change the subject slightly again.

'I know Leo became a white lighter in the forties… How about you?' asked Paige.

Sam smiled weakly. 'I became a white lighter in the late seventies.'

Paige furrowed her brow. 'I thought you were Mum's white lighter for years before I was born.'

'Not the nineteen seventies, Paige. I meant eighteen seventy eight,' said Sam.

'Wow… That's… That's… Just wow,' said Paige, having not expected her real father to have been around for that long. 'Did you have a family before you… er… before you became a white lighter?'

'Before I died? You want to know if you have any half siblings from my side of the family, don't you?' said Sam, smiling a little.

'I was curious,' said Paige, shrugging. 'Considering you died in the nineteenth century, I doubt I would have any living half siblings left on your side of the family, but I may have some great great great great great great great great half nieces or nephews from your side of the family.'

Sam chuckled a little. 'I think there may have been a slight over exaggeration on the number of greats there.'

Paige shrugged. 'I couldn't be bothered to work it out.' When she realised that Sam was not going to answer the question, Paige said, 'So what did you do in your previous life?'

'I lived in New York. I was a teacher,' said Sam.

Paige nodded. 'Typical potential white lighter job.'

'What do you do?' asked Sam.

'I am training to be a social worker,' said Paige.

Sam nodded. There was a brief silence. Sam decided to break it after a little while with, 'Leo told me that you found out about your powers after meeting your sisters.'

Paige nodded. 'Yep. As you may be able to tell, I have only recently gotten my first active power.' Paige held up her hands for Sam to see. 'Unfortunately I cannot do anything useful until I learn to control this and turn it off.'

'Wilders are fast learners and Halliwells can do whatever they put their mind to,' said Sam supportively. 'You will be able to control it within no time at all.'

Paige was interested in finding out about her family heritage – hence she was intrigued by Sam's background and history – however she could not accept the status as a member of that family. Therefore, Paige said: 'I may be a Wilder by blood, but I don't see myself as part of your family, Sam. I grew up as a Wyatt, but now I see myself as more of a Halliwell than anything else.'

* * *

**A/N:** The change in Paige's behaviour towards him in that final paragraph shouldn't seem too out of character. Remember, part of this reunion is having to be based off _Sam I Am_. Also the part where Paige asked Sam about whether he had a family in his first life is something that I wished had been brought up in an actual episode, considering we know the answer to that question when it comes to Leo (Dan tells Piper about Leo's wife), but it never got brought up in regards to Paige having family on her father's side. Please review!


	26. P3 H20 (And At A Loss)

**A/N:** A relatively shortish chapter (compared to usual word count lengths for me) to finish this episode off. Thanks for all the reviews so far.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six: P3 H20 (And At A Loss)**

**20 minutes to go**

An uncomfortable silence had ensued Paige's harsh words in Sam's shack. Paige looked away from Sam, letting her eyes wander around the shack. She felt slightly guilty for saying what she had said to him, but she was only being honest.

Paige was hoping that Sam would be the one to break the silence, even if he were only to say 'I don't know what to say'. Paige heard a chair move and some feet shuffling. She assumed that Sam had gotten up. He was still in the room, but pacing around it. Paige tried to avoid looking in his direction.

The mind-numbing quiet was finally interrupted by the appearance of Leo running in through the doorway. Paige looked up towards Leo from her seat. Sam also looked over at Leo. Sam had been pacing close to the door just as Leo had turned up.

'Paige, your sisters want you by the lake,' said Leo. Then he turned to Sam and added, 'You too, Sam.'

Paige and Sam nodded at the same time. Paige stood up and followed Sam and Leo out of the shack, back towards the lake.

'Is Piper here as well?' Paige asked Leo, wondering whether he had abandoned her at the manor.

Leo nodded. His answer was mainly directed at Sam. 'We found the letters that Patty wrote to you Sam. You knew that she was going to attempt to vanquish the demon.'

Sam frowned in despair. 'I couldn't stop her.'

'Don't think about that now. What matters is that the girls need to know what that vanquishing plan was,' explained Leo.

'She froze me before I could see what she was going to do!' said Sam. 'I did not see what happened!'

* * *

**12 minutes to go**

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Andy, and Sam were all standing on dry land. To the side of them were the lake and the dock that led out onto the lake. Phoebe was holding Sam's hands, midway through a premonition. She was reliving the last moments of their mother's life. It was not fair that Phoebe was the one who had to do it. Any of her sisters would have switched powers with her in a heartbeat to take on the burden instead, if it was possible in the short amount of time they had.

After her premonition was over, Phoebe explained everything she had seen from the demon drowning their mother to the use of the power cables. Prue believed it would have worked if their mother had managed to use the power cables. After a few more minutes of discussion, the question arose:

'Who's going to be the one on the end of the dock with the power cables?' asked Phoebe.

'Me,' said Prue resolutely.

* * *

**2 minutes to go**

Accompanied by Sam, Prue slowly walked out onto the dock. She was holding some power cables in her hands. Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, and Andy watched from the dry land.

Andy had remained silent up until then, but now he could not hold his silence any longer.

'I can't let Prue do this,' said Andy.

'Andy, she's our sister,' said Piper. 'We don't want her to do this any more than you do, but someone has to vanquish the demon.'

'Let me do it then!' said Andy. 'I am marked for death anyway! Let me hold the power cables!'

With those words, Andy began to run forward, shouting, 'Prue!'

Prue turned around to see Andy running. Piper froze Andy mid-run. Prue mouthed the word 'thank you' in Piper's direction, before turning around, continuing her walk towards the end of the dock.

* * *

**1 minute to go**

As Prue and Sam stood at the end of the dock, it was clear to Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo that the water behind Prue was bubbling. However Prue had not seen it. The demon was going to attack when Prue was not even ready.

'We have to help her,' Piper said to Phoebe and Paige.

Paige began to run forward with her sisters. Phoebe stopped her in her tracks.

'Paige, stay here with Leo. We don't want you melting the dock or the power cables,' said Phoebe apologetically.

Piper and Phoebe began to run onto the dock. Leo, who had been left out of the 'we have to help her' conversation, suddenly realised what they were doing. He ran forward to try to stop them. Piper froze Leo mid-run.

* * *

**0 minutes to go**

Paige stood almost paralysed in fear standing at the start of the dock. Her feet were still on dry land. A frozen Leo and frozen Andy stood beside her. Both men had been frozen mid-run.

The water demon was rising out of the water as Piper and Phoebe reached Prue and Sam at the other end of the dock. Prue dropped the power cables onto the dock at the sight of the demon. Sam managed to attract the demon's attention away from Prue. As the demon engulfed him with water inside and out, Sam reached for the power cables. Prue turned the power on.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe watched from their spot on the dock as Sam was electrocuted by the power cables in his hands, soaked in the water that belonged to the water demon.

Paige had only met her real father less than two hours earlier and there was nothing she could do to save him.

Paige wanted to orb onto the dock, grab Sam, and orb him as far away as possible. However she was currently unable to orb and if she did grab Sam, her active power would probably cause more problems than solutions.

Leo and Andy unfroze at the same time. Not realising that time had passed or that Paige was still standing next to them, they ran onto the dock. Andy embraced Prue when he reached her. Leo stopped next to Piper.

The power cut out and the water disappeared. Sam was still drenched in water as he collapsed to the ground. Stepping away from Piper, Leo tried to heal Sam but he could not.

From her position at the other end of the dock, Paige could not hear the conversation going on between her three sisters, her adoptive dad, her real dad, and her brother-in-law. All of a sudden every head, but Sam's, turned to face Paige.

Phoebe ran over to Paige. 'Sam wants to speak to you.' Paige nodded silently and followed her sister. The fact that Phoebe had not made any 'try not to melt anything' jokes showed just how serious everything was.

When Paige reached Sam, she knelt down by his side, making sure not to place her hands on the dock or anywhere else. Sam smiled feebly when he saw Paige.

'Hi,' said Sam. His voice was faint.

'Hi…' said Paige, trying not to tear up. 'You are going to be okay, right?'

Sam gulped. 'You know the answer to that.'

'I-I-I didn't mean it when I sa- when I- when I said I don't see you a-a-a-as family,' Paige stammered.

'Don't lie to me, Paige,' said Sam. 'I was never there for you. You have your sisters and your adoptive dad to look out for you.'

'Don't say that,' said Paige. 'You are going to be just fine. Leo may not be able to heal you, but-but-but-but we'll find another way.'

'Paige, it's my time to go,' said Sam.

'No,' Paige said quietly, allowing herself to cry now. 'I never had the chance to get to know you. I should have never said what I said. I'm sorry.'

Sam took a final breath. Paige burst into tears, not wanting to move from that spot.

* * *

**2 hours later**

Paige sat by herself on her bed in her bedroom back at Halliwell manor. She was at a complete loss as to what to do with herself. Within an hour or so of finding her real father, she had lost him. Due to a mixed blessing, her powers had temporarily decided to cut out completely, which meant no more acidic touch for now. However this short-term power outage had only been caused due to her extreme anguish at losing a family member, even though she had not known him long.

Leo had disappeared, promising to arrange the funeral for Sam. Paige had not had the heart to argue with him over the fact that he had known where Sam was all this time. Meanwhile, her sisters had let Paige have this time to herself when they had arrived back at the manor.

Paige suddenly looked around as her bedroom door opened slowly. Prue walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed.

'How are you doing?' Prue asked, looking at the closed door instead of facing Paige.

'How were you doing? You witnessed Mum's death in the exact same place over a decade ago,' said Paige faintly.

Prue sighed. 'I know, and ever since we became witches, I have worried that I have been following in her footsteps.'

'Is that why you refused to wear her wedding dress on your wedding day?' Paige asked.

Prue nodded slowly. Finally turning around to make eye contact with Paige, Prue said, 'This is not about me, though. It's about you. Are you okay?'

Paige shrugged, slumping backwards against her headboard. 'I don't know. I mean, I only met him, but that does not change the fact that he's my dad, and he…'

Prue nodded. 'I am so sorry, Paige.' Prue sat up against the headboard, to the left of Paige. She pulled her baby sister into a consoling hug.

'You know that the first and final word he ever heard me say was 'Sorry'? How bleak is that? Of all the words to say to him… Prue, I even told him that I would never see him as family… I am such a terrible person,' Paige said, beginning to sob between words.

'Paige, nothing you did was terrible,' said Prue. 'You had the right to have a little moan at him for never being there for you. You shouldn't blame yourself for anything.'

Prue released Paige from the hug when the door suddenly opened a little. Phoebe poked her head in.

'Hey,' said Phoebe quietly. 'Mind if I join you?'

Prue looked towards Paige, waiting for Paige to make the decision. Paige wiped a few of her tears away before nodding. Phoebe walked in, shutting the door behind her. She sat on the bed, against the headboard, to the right of Paige. Phoebe linked her arm with Paige's.

'Sam was a good man,' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded. 'I am sorry that you had to see what happened to Mum.'

Phoebe took a deep breath as the memory of that premonition returned to haunt her. 'It was difficult, but necessary… I hardly knew Mum… I was only two and a half when she…' Phoebe paused for a second or two. Paige leant onto her older sister's left shoulder, knowing it was difficult for her to speak about this. '… I always used to think that I had known her the least, but… You never even got to meet her…'

'We met her last year when we went back in time,' Prue said. 'Both of you met her then. Both of you did her proud.'

'I wish we could have seen Sam that day too,' said Paige. 'On a day before he had suffered from such a great loss as losing Mum.'

There was a knock on the door. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige looked over at the door.

'Paige?' It was Piper's voice. 'Can I come in?'

Paige did not feel like raising her voice in order for Piper to hear her through the door. Therefore she made an indication to Prue and Phoebe that Piper could come in.

'Yes! You can come in!' Prue said, making her voice audible through the door.

The door swung open slowly. Piper seemed slightly surprised, but glad, to find Prue and Phoebe in there too. Piper shut the door behind her, and made Prue move over slightly, so as Piper could slot herself in between Prue and Paige, against the headboard.

'I can't possibly know how you are feeling right now,' said Piper.

'Join the club, because I don't even know how I am feeling,' said Paige.

'If it helps, I rang South Bay Social Services for you. I told them that you were not at work today, because of a death in the family,' said Piper as gently as possible.

Paige rubbed her eyes, out of habit, even though she was no longer crying. 'Thanks.'

Piper put her arm around Paige, consoling her. Prue and Phoebe joined the hug.

* * *

**2 days later**

Paige stood alone at the side of the grave as Sam's closed casket was lowered into it. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Andy stood a little bit behind Paige, giving her space.

The groundskeepers that had lowered the casket left the immediate area to give the mourners some space. Paige knelt down on the ground, not caring that the grass would stain her dress.

'I never got to know you properly, but you lived three great lives,' Paige whispered. 'You were an amazing teacher in your first life, maybe even a great father, for all I know… I bet you were one of the best white lighters around in your second life. You probably disliked the Elders as much as me…' Paige paused to attempt a smile at the thought of Sam as a white lighter. '…And then your third life, your renewed life as a mortal, was all about making sure that no one else was harmed by the demon that killed Mum.'

Paige picked up a bouquet of flowers that she had bought on the way to the funeral. She placed them on top of the casket.

'Sam, thanks to you, I was able to grow up with an amazing white lighter that I called my father,' Paige continued to whisper. 'I may have grown up as a Wyatt, but I will always be a Wilder by blood.'

Paige slowly stood up and turned around to face her sisters, adoptive dad, and brother-in-law. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe took this as a cue to approach their baby sister. The four sisters linked arms and began to walk away from the grave site. Leo and Andy followed the four sisters at a slow pace.

Sam's gravestone read:

_Samuel Wilder_

_Died 1999_

_'He lived three times the average life,_

_protecting all of those around him without ever being asked._

_A great father, an amazing teacher, and forever an angel.'_

* * *

**A/N:** That ends the Sam saga - Please review.


	27. Ms Hellfire (And Loaded Questions)

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter. A slight warning for this chapter - If you remember how the canon episode begins, then you should know there is gun violence involved, and (unfortunately a slight spoiler, but only because I feel like I have to put up a warning) someone may (or may not) get shot by the end of this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Ms. Hellfire (And Loaded Questions)**

Leo had accepted an invitation to Halliwell manor for dinner. Correction: Paige's adoptive father had accepted an invitation to Halliwell manor for dinner. Paige had decided to keep her deal with Prue about her sisters finally meeting her adoptive dad. However Paige did not want them to find out it was Leo just yet. Therefore she and Leo had come up with a plan to keep that secret concealed.

Somewhere in amongst the few weeks that passed between Sam's death and the prospective dinner party, Paige had celebrated her birthday. She had not been expecting anything special from her sisters, but they had bought her a new car. Paige's immediate reaction had been to assume that they had gotten her such an expensive present, because of what had happened to Sam. However they promised her that it was something they had been planning as a surprise ever since she got her new job. The car was a mint green VW Bug. Paige could not deny the fact that she absolutely loved the car.

Whenever present in San Francisco over those few weeks, Prue had been acting very serious. Paige was still not sure whether Prue knew about Leo or whether this was due to Prue worrying about how Paige was coping with the loss of Sam. Prue had tried to tell Paige that she could postpone the dinner party if she would rather, considering Sam had only died a few weeks earlier, but Paige was adamant that the dinner party would still take place.

Piper had been preparing for the dinner party ever since it had been mentioned to her. She was excited about the prospect of meeting Paige's adoptive dad. Phoebe was looking forward to the encounter too, although she was not taking part in the dinner preparations. Prue was going to be attending, even though Andy could not due to work.

They were calling it a dinner party, but it was actually going to be taking place at lunch time. All four sisters were busy that particular Friday evening, so what had started off as an evening dinner had been moved to earlier on in the day. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige all had a Tae Bo class that evening, while Piper had a date with Dan.

* * *

On the morning of the dinner party, Paige orbed into magic school – wearing a pale blue short sleeved blouse and smart white trousers – where she had told Leo she would meet up with him. Paige's powers had all made a welcome return a week or so earlier. That was all except for her active witch power, but Paige was not in a rush for that to show up again. She hoped that she would be able to trigger it the next time she needed it.

Paige found Leo in an empty classroom, deep in discussion with Gideon. When Paige walked in, the Elder and the white lighter stopped talking. Gideon greeted Paige before exiting the classroom. Paige approached Leo, who was sitting on a desk. Leo jumped off the desk.

'Hey Paige. Is the dinner party still on?' Leo asked. When Paige nodded, Leo continued with, 'Are you sure you are still up to it?'

Paige nodded. 'Yes. I don't know why everyone keeps babying me about Sam's death. I am a big girl, you know. I don't need people asking me how I am every single day.'

Leo put his arm around Paige in a fatherly hug. 'We aren't babying you, we just all care about you. Out of everyone, you were the most connected to him. You understandably took his death quite badly, but all of a sudden you seem to be acting fine. I think your sisters, just like me, are worried that you could be bottling things up.'

'Bottling potions up?' said Paige, smirking.

Leo smiled. 'Emotions.'

Paige took a deep breath, and tried to change the subject a little. 'I never got around to asking you… Why did you never tell me that you knew where Sam was?'

Leo frowned. 'I would have told you if you had ever asked me to find his whereabouts. You never asked.'

Paige furrowed her brow as she thought about it. She had never actually mentioned to Leo the possibility of finding Sam after Leo had found out that Sam must have been her father.

After a brief silence where Paige and Leo became lost in their thoughts, Paige said, 'So dinner will be served at noon – yeah, it's a lunch time thing, not an evening thing – but Piper wants you there at ten for appetisers and conversations.'

Leo smiled. 'Piper really does go all out for a dinner party.' Then he added, 'So how are we planning to deal with this dinner party?'

'I promised Prue they would meet you,' said Paige. 'I don't think anyone's ready to find out that you're the adoptive dad they have heard so much about yet.'

'So you want me to glamour?' said Leo.

Paige nodded. 'You can choose how you want to look, but considering you are supposed to be mortal and supposed to have adopted me when I was a baby, you may want to make yourself look older.'

'That sounds reasonable,' said Leo. 'Can I pick my name?'

'First name, yes, because I have never told them it, but your last name has to be Matthews,' said Paige.

Leo sighed. 'Are you sure you don't want to just tell them? I mean, you were ready to tell them a few months ago. You know, after you had been on the trip to that fake future.'

'I know, but… I will tell them soon, just not right at this moment in time,' said Paige.

'Why not?' asked Leo. 'It would make this all so much easier and end the lies.'

'How do you think my sisters are going to react if you turn up at that dinner party and tell them you are my adoptive dad? I don't think the reception would be very welcoming,' said Paige.

'How do you think they are going to react if you tell them another time _after_ this dinner party?' asked Leo. 'I don't think they would like the fact that you openly deceived them with me in a disguise, as well as how long it has taken you to tell them.'

Paige sighed. 'Fine. I will tell them today, but I think Piper may take it the worst.'

Leo's eyes widened in realisation. 'Piper… No… Wait, it can wait a bit longer before you tell your sisters.'

Paige frowned. 'What, but you were just saying..?'

'Yeah, I know, but as long as you tell them in the right environment, everything will be okay,' said Leo.

Paige rolled her eyes. 'You just don't want Piper to think negatively about you.'

Leo tried to look innocent. 'Why would I care about that? We're not even together anymore. She's with… Dan.'

'You know they do have to find out at some point, whatever Piper's reaction,' said Paige.

'Hey! You were against telling them just yet a few seconds ago! What happened there?' asked Leo.

'You changed my mind,' said Paige.

'Well, change it back, because you were successful in changing mine!' said Leo.

* * *

It was around five to ten in the morning. Piper was finishing up preparations in the kitchen. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were setting the dining room table with a cloth, cutlery, the good plates, and glasses.

Piper entered the dining room, wearing a long purple dress. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige looked up from their positions around the table. Prue was wearing a midnight blue sleeveless t-shirt and a long black skirt. Phoebe's outfit consisted of a pink sleeveless top and stylish black trousers.

'The appetisers are ready and the main course does not need tending to until later,' said Piper. 'How's everything in here?'

'Everything's going well,' said Phoebe, putting a glass down in the correct place.

'We're almost done in here,' said Prue as she put down the last coaster.

'My dad's due here any minute,' said Paige, arranging a place mat on the table.

'Good. I was a little hesitant about the dinner party being set to this particular date at first, but maybe we don't have to worry about that,' said Piper.

'Don't even mention the date,' said Prue seriously. 'Not after what happened last time this date came around.'

Piper chuckled. 'What? Can't I be in a good mood once in a while? We're meeting Paige's adoptive dad today and then I have wonderful date with Dan later tonight. This Friday the thirteenth worry is pointless.'

'You said the date!' moaned Phoebe.

Piper smiled. 'Weren't you guys the ones moaning at me about being superstitious last time?'

'That was before we faced the demon of fear,' said Prue.

The doorbell rang and the four sisters began to walk in the direction of the door.

'Well, at least we don't have to worry about the demon of fear anymore,' said Phoebe.

At these words, Piper stopped walking as they reached the foyer. 'Remind me, Paige,' said Piper. 'Your adoptive dad does know about demons and magic and everything, right?'

Paige nodded. 'He's mortal, but he knows everything.'

'At least he will understand if we get any unwanted visitors then,' said Prue.

Phoebe had already opened the front door and welcomed in their expected visitor. He was around the same height as Leo, but he looked like he was in his late forties and looked nothing like Leo. He had dark hair that appeared to be going grey in places. He had green eyes and relatively small ears. He was wearing a grey suit with a plaid tie. Despite being in disguise, Leo obviously had not wanted to go without plaid entirely.

Prue approached the adoptive dad and shook his hand.

'Hi. Welcome to our home. I'm Prue Halliwell, Paige's eldest sister,' said Prue.

'I am Piper, the second eldest,' said Piper.

'And I am Phoebe,' said Phoebe as she shut the front door.

'It's nice to meet you all,' said the adoptive dad in a voice that was nothing like Leo's at all. His voice was a lot deeper than Leo's. 'My name is Louis Matthews. Paige speaks about the three of you all the time.'

Prue smiled. 'That's nice to hear. Would you like to follow us into the living room and we can continue our conversation?'

Louis nodded. He, Prue, Phoebe, and Paige made their way into the living room, while Piper disappeared back into the kitchen to pick up some appetisers.

The sisters had rearranged the living room for the dinner party. There were two sofas in there. One sofa had its back to the window (the window that faced the front drive). The second sofa faced the first one, but there was a coffee table placed between the two.

As Paige and Louis sat down on the sofa closest to the window, Paige whispered to him, 'Louis? What made you choose that name?'

'It's a great name. Louis Armstrong, the Great Satchmo, the trumpeter? Never heard of them? Really? Have I never mentioned them to you before? How have I never mentioned them to you before?' whispered Louis.

Prue and Phoebe had sat down on the other sofa, but had not overheard the brief whispered discussion between adoptive father and adopted daughter.

Piper entered the living room carrying three plates of appetisers. She placed them all down on the coffee table.

Turning to Louis, Piper said, 'Mr. Matthews, would you like some tea? Or maybe some coffee?'

'Please, call me Louis,' said Louis. 'Coffee, please. No milk. Two sugars.'

'Coming right up,' said Piper.

Louis stood up. 'Let me help you.'

Piper shook her head. 'You're the guest. You should stay seated, but thank you for the offer.' Piper left the living room.

'Hmm…' said Prue, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. 'You like your coffee made in the same way as one of Piper's exes.'

'There aren't that many ways that people can have their coffee, Prue,' said Paige. The thought _Does she know?_ echoed through her mind as she said this.

Louis sat back down on the sofa and picked up an appetiser off one of the plates. Deciding to change the subject, he said, 'So, Prue, what do you do as a day job? Paige tells me that you live in Portland now.'

Prue smiled, also taking an appetiser from a plate. 'I mainly work freelance at the moment – in photography. For the last couple of months, I have been trying to build up my portfolio. Recently I have been sending my portfolio out to all the big magazines in Portland. I haven't had one response yet. It probably does not help that while I technically do live in Portland, I spend most of my time in San Francisco.'

Louis chuckled. 'Either that's really expensive air fare or you are using magic.'

Phoebe decided to join in on the conversation. 'Don't worry, Sir. We aren't using Paige's orbing abilities for that.'

'Louis,' Louis corrected Phoebe, before adding, 'Are you using your white lighter instead?'

'I would have thought _you_ of all people would know the answer to that,' said Prue.

_Does she know?_ Paige thought again.

'Me? Why ever do you think I would know?' asked Louis, managing to keep his composure despite the apparent interrogation from the eldest Halliwell.

Prue feigned a look of surprise. 'Oh, sorry. I just assumed Paige told you everything.'

_Is that a cover story for her direct question or had she actually assumed that?_ thought Paige, who was currently staring at her eldest sister trying to figure out whether or not she actually knew that the man sitting next to Paige was Leo.

'Oh. She has not really had much of a chance to speak to me recently,' said Louis.

Prue and Phoebe both lost their smiles for a second as their minds went to the Sam situation.

'Understandable,' Phoebe said quietly, but respectfully.

'So is it your white lighter?' Louis piped up.

'Is what our white lighter?' asked Phoebe, who had briefly forgotten the previous subject.

'Are you…' Prue paused to cough a little. '…our white lighter?'

Paige and Louis exchanged flustered looks.

'Excuse me?' said Louis.

'Sorry. I lost the middle of my sentence in amidst the choking,' said Prue. 'I said: Are you on about our white lighter?'

'Well, yeah…' said Louis, relaxing a little. 'Is he orbing you between here and Portland?'

'We use a portal,' Phoebe answered for Prue, as she picked up an appetiser for herself.

Louis chuckled. 'I bet your white lighter doesn't like you using your magic for personal gain.'

Paige rolled her eyes. _Typical_, she thought. _Leo's using his disguise as a way to moan at us about personal gain_.

Piper entered the living room, handing Louis a cup of coffee. Louis thanked Piper as she took a seat next to Prue and Phoebe.

'So how long have you known about magic?' Phoebe asked Louis. 'I mean, from what I know, you adopted Paige, but Paige also knew a magical family from New York. I don't quite understand how the two go together considering you were mortal and Paige did not know about her powers until after she met us.'

'Actually that leads onto another question… Paige knew Leo before she knew us… How did she meet him?' asked Prue.

'Hello? I am in the room!' said Paige, smiling. 'You could have asked me these things tonnes of times before!'

'Well, now's as good a time as any to ask those questions,' said Piper, finally making her debut into the conversation.

Louis took a sip from his cup of coffee before placing it down on the table.

'Well, as you know, I adopted Paige when she was a newborn baby. I had recently lost my wife. Before her death, we had been on the waiting list for a while at the adoption agency. They rang up one day to tell me that a baby had been abandoned and they told me that my wife and I could adopt her. Of course, I had to tell them that my wife had recently passed, but they still let me adopt baby Paige.' Louis paused to take another sip of coffee.

'That's so interesting,' said Piper. 'Paige never mentioned your late wife before.'

'That's because I had never heard that story before,' said Paige, wondering whether Leo had thought this lie over beforehand or whether he was improvising.

'You never asked,' was Louis' reply. Paige wondered whether this was just Leo repeating the reason why he never told her that he had found Sam.

'So when did you find out about magic?' Phoebe asked, intrigued to find out.

'Did I forget to mention that my late wife was a witch? That's why I knew about the existence of magic,' said Louis. 'She had always been close friends with the Strattons, so I kept in contact with them. They had had twins at around the same time as I adopted Paige, so they were able to guide me through caring for a baby.'

'They gave you baby advice all the way from New York?' said Prue, who seemed a little suspicious of the story.

'Oh, did Paige never tell you that we lived in New York until she was five?' said Louis.

Paige blushed. 'Oops. Did I forget to mention that?' Paige was suddenly realising that she disliked Leo's form of lying. He was messing all of Paige's previous stories up.

'I seem to remember you telling us that you had always lived in San Francisco,' said Phoebe.

Paige picked up an appetiser and started eating it so as she would have a reason not to answer.

'Anyway, so while we were living in New York, the Strattons would babysit whenever I had work,' said Louis.

Paige swallowed before saying, 'Leo was the Strattons' white lighter, which is why I grew up knowing him. That's why he's like family to me.'

'Then why's he not at this dinner?' asked Prue.

'Two reasons: Firstly, you have met him many times before. Secondly, he has charges,' said Paige.

'Actually, there's a third,' said Piper, looking down at the coffee table. 'After what we found out about Mum and Sam… We kind of decided that the best way to stay apart would be for him to only turn up here for magical reasons.' Piper paused to inhale a remorseful breath. 'That way I can get on with my life and be with Dan; and he can get on with his life, focusing on charges.'

Louis was looking in Piper's direction. As she was still looking down at the coffee table, she did not notice how upset Louis' expression was at hearing those words. However, Prue and Paige had noticed Louis' expression. Phoebe was too busy looking at Piper.

'Cheer up, Piper,' said Phoebe. 'You've got Dan.'

Piper looked up from the coffee table, feigning a smile. 'Anyway, we're not here to speak about my relationships.'

'I don't mind hearing more about your doubts over this Dan guy,' said Louis.

Paige subtly nudged Louis for making a comment like that and being a little too eager to hear that Piper had Dan doubts.

'I think Piper would rather not talk about that sort of thing, _Dad_,' said Paige.

'I should go and check on dinner,' said Piper, hastily leaving the living room.

Prue stood up and followed Piper out of the living room.

Paige suddenly noticed that Phoebe was staring past Paige's shoulder at something out of the window behind her. Paige turned around to try and see what Phoebe was looking at. Outside was the driveway, where Prue's car and Piper's jeep were parked. Paige's new car was parked on the street. As far as passing cars and neighbours go, the street was relatively quiet and empty. Paige turned back around to face her sister.

'What are you looking at?' Paige asked Phoebe.

'I… I don't know… I thought I saw some movement from behind your car a couple of seconds ago,' said Phoebe. She shook her head. 'It must have been my imagination.'

Paige shrugged. 'It could have been a cat.'

'I thought I saw something glint, like it was shiny enough to cause a reflection,' said Phoebe, still not fully convinced that it could have been a cat.

'A cat's eye would gli –' Paige never got the chance to finish her sentence. A shot was fired; the window smashed as the first bullet flew through it; and Louis fell into the coffee table as the force of the bullet entering the back of his head pushed him forward.

* * *

**A/N:** This is the point where you know no main character is going to die, because bullets don't fatally wound white lighters. As to the name _Louis_ - all credit for that and for Leo's reason of choosing it goes to the first episode of season eight _Still Charmed and Kicking It_. Oh, and as to Paige's mint green (I call it _mint green_ but that might not be the actual name of the colour) VW Bug... that was always going to make an appearance at some point during this fan fiction. Please review.


	28. Ms Hellfire (And A Witness Named Phoebe)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews in the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy this next one.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Ms. Hellfire (And A Witness Named Phoebe)**

Multiple shots pursued the first. Phoebe and Paige had ducked down between the two sofas to avoid getting hit.

Prue and Piper must have heard the commotion, because they appeared at the living room entrance. Piper kept throwing up her hands, freezing each bullet that entered the living room. Prue used her telekinesis to deflect many of the bullets. Louis appeared to have been knocked unconscious by his injury. Paige grabbed Louis' hand as well as Phoebe's hand, orbing them out of the living room.

As Phoebe and Paige appeared with Louis in the dining room, Prue ran in and swept her arm outwards with great force, causing the contents of the table top to fly into the wall telekinetically. Phoebe and Paige used the new space on the table to place the injured Louis somewhere flat.

Piper made her way into the dining room.

'What is going on?' Piper shrieked.

'It's your fault for being care free about it being Friday the thirteenth!' said Phoebe. Then she shouted, 'Leo!'

'Why are you calling for Leo?' Paige asked.

'We don't exactly want your adoptive dad to die, do we?' said Phoebe. 'Leo!'

'Oh crap!' said Prue, sweeping her arm forward, telekinetically pushing Louis off of the table onto the floor. Fortunately, Prue had been looking out the dining room window, while the others had been talking. 'Duck!'

All four sisters ducked to the ground as a tirade of bullets came blasting through the window.

'Since when did demons use guns?' Piper yelled over the sound of gunshots.

'Take my hands and someone reach across to Le- Louis!' said Paige.

After this hurried instruction, Prue and Piper each took one of Paige's hands. Phoebe took hold of Louis tie, which she was just about able to reach as they were ducked down on the other side of the table from where Louis lay unconscious. With her other hand, Phoebe grabbed Prue's free hand. Knowing that everyone was ready, Paige orbed them all to the safety of the attic.

Prue ran straight to the attic door as soon as everyone stood up.

'Where are you going?' Piper asked Prue. 'We can't go back down there with someone shooting at the house!'

'The fact is that someone's shooting at the house,' said Prue. 'I have to go down there. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can use my telekinesis to divert any bullets away from myself.'

'Let me come down with you,' said Piper. 'I can freeze them.'

Prue hesitated to contemplate this. 'Okay. Let's go.'

Prue opened the attic door and ran out. Piper followed her, shutting the attic door behind them. Phoebe and Paige were now alone in the attic with the unconscious Louis. Louis was face down on his front. Therefore the bullet hole in the back of his head – which was so low that it could be defined as on his neck – was visible to both Phoebe and Paige.

'Leo!' Phoebe began shouting again. 'Ugh! Why's he not an –' Phoebe paused as she stared down in shock at Louis' neck. The area where the bullet had gone in began to shine with a golden glow. This was followed up by the wound disappearing as Louis' neck healed.

Slowly Louis sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Ow. What happened, Pai –' Louis stopped when he saw Phoebe looking down at him. Phoebe had gone pale.

Phoebe looked from Louis to Paige a few times before resting her eyes on Paige. 'I thought you said he was mortal! Unless an invisible white lighter just healed him, I believe he just self-healed! What mortal does that?' Phoebe was reasonably a little freaked out.

Louis got to his feet, still rubbing the back of his neck. 'Phoebe, relax. There's nothing to worry about.'

'There's plenty to worry about,' said Paige. 'Including the gun blazing downstairs.'

'Gun..? Gun… Gun!' Louis said a little repetitively until he remembered why he had been temporarily injured and unconscious.

'Is anyone going to explain your adoptive dad to me?' said Phoebe. 'You don't seem nonplussed by your _mortal_ adoptive dad self-healing himself, Paige!'

'I'll explain everything later, Pheebs. I promise,' said Paige. 'Just calm down and if Prue or Piper ask, tell them Leo came, healed, and left, okay?'

Phoebe took a deep breath to calm down a little and then said, 'Okay.'

Phoebe, Paige, and Louis approached the attic door and listened against it for any signs of what was going on downstairs. The sound of bullets were still occurring. A few shrieks from Piper were heard followed by Prue shouting over the sound of the bullets to instruct Piper through the maze of flying bullets. Then all went silent.

Paige strained her ear as she listened for any sound coming from downstairs.

'What do you think is going on down there?' whispered Paige.

'Sshh!' said Phoebe, trying to listen for any sounds from downstairs.

Everything in the manor had gone so quiet that the sound of a door opening on the main floor was audible from the attic. Footsteps were audible walking along the main floor. The echoing steps sounded like high heels. Prue and Piper had not been wearing high heels that morning. A final gun shot was heard quickly followed by the sound of a body dropping to the floor.

Phoebe, Paige, and Louis exchanged anxious looks. The question floating through each of their minds was very likely to be: _Who got shot?_ and _Are Prue and Piper okay?_

'Prue and Piper aren't injured. They're fine,' said Louis, quickly opening the attic door and running down the steps.

Phoebe looked around at Paige. 'How did _he_ know that they are fine and were not hit?'

'Er, you know when I said I would explain later? Your newest question comes under that category,' said Paige. She quickly left the attic at a fast pace, running down the steps. Phoebe followed.

* * *

Phoebe, Paige, and Louis found Prue and Piper in the dining room. They were crouching over a woman who was lying on the floor. A gun lay on the floor not far from the body. Paige stepped around the pieces of glass and many bullets that littered the floor as she made her way over to Prue and Piper. Phoebe and Louis followed. Piper stood up to face Phoebe, Paige, and Louis, while Prue remained on the floor, looking through the dead woman's pockets.

'Louis, you're fine? Did Leo..?' began Piper, but before she could finish, Phoebe said:

'Leo did a bit of a heal-and-run.'

Piper frowned. 'He wasn't interested in finding out about the gun fight going on down here? He didn't care that we were being ambushed by a hit woman? Or should I say hit demon? Then again, what demons use guns?' Piper paused to contemplate the fact that the still body on the ground could be human. 'Do demons always have to disappear in flames on vanquish?'

Louis nodded. 'Demons disappear in flames when vanquished in order to help avoid magical exposure.' When he received a surprised look from Piper, Louis added, 'I have learnt a lot about demons over the last couple of decades – after being married to a witch and then being good friends with a magical family, you learn a lot.'

Piper seemed to accept this explanation. However Phoebe was glaring at Paige. Paige returned an expression to the glaring sister which said _Later_. Phoebe sighed and dropped the glare.

'Oh! _We – we – we murdered a human being_!' Piper squeaked in terror.

'Piper, try to calm down a little,' said Louis. 'She was trying to kill you. It was self-defence.' Louis was about to lean forward to give Piper a consoling hug, but Paige purposefully stopped him. Louis seemed to keep ignoring two important factors: One – He was currently under a guise, so no one except Paige (and possibly Prue – if Paige's suspicions were correct – and possibly Phoebe – if everything she had witnessed so far that morning had led her to the correct answer) knew that he was Leo. Therefore hugging Piper was a definite no; and two – Piper was dating Dan, so would not be welcoming to a hug from Leo, even if she did know it was him. 'Do you have any cops that know your secret? You're going to need some help.'

Prue stood up. She had finally finished rooting through the hit woman's pockets. Prue now held the hit woman's purse in her hands.

Prue looked over at Louis and said in reply to his question: 'We can't use the Portland police service for a San Francisco situation, so Andy is out of the question.' Prue turned to Piper. 'Piper, go and ring Darryl. We need his help. Ask him to come straight here.'

Piper nodded silently. She took one last glance down at the hit woman before fleeing the dining room for the refuge of the hallway where she would find the phone.

Prue emptied the contents of the purse onto the dining room table. Louis stood back a little while Prue, Phoebe, and Paige examined the items that had fallen onto the table.

Phoebe had picked up the hit woman's multiple I.D. cards, which suggested she was used to taking on multiple aliases. Paige's eyes widened in shock as she picked up a throwing star that had been amongst the purse's contents. Phoebe put the I.D. cards down to pick up a key she had noticed and pointed it out to her sisters. The key belonged to a room at _Sutro Heights Apartments_.

Meanwhile Prue had come across the hit woman's day planner. Prue was flicking through it and came to a stop on a page.

'She had our names – or one of us, at least – on a list…' muttered Prue. At these words, Phoebe and Paige put down the keys and the throwing star to take a look over Prue's shoulders at the planner. Louis also took a step forward to peer at the mentioned list.

There were twelve names on the list. Nine had been crossed out. The three remaining names not yet crossed out were: _P. Halliwell_, _P. Wyatt_, and _M. Steadwell_. Paige suddenly did a double take as she realised what she had just read.

Prue did not seem fazed, but Phoebe did. Phoebe was joining the dots in her head. She suddenly went extremely pale and started to babble a little in shock as she hastily looked from Paige to Louis. Phoebe's breathing rate was rapidly accelerating from the shock of realising the truth.

'Paige, take her to the attic. Now,' said Prue, who was hastily applying a pen to that particular name on the list. She was attempting to change it by lengthening the first vertical line in _W_ and adding two horizontal lines to make it an _I_. The second and third vertical lines of _W_ were also lengthened to look like an _l_ next to another _l_. Prue then rounded the top of the _y_ to make it into a _g_. All in all, she had changed the name _Wyatt_ into the name _Illgatt_.

'Prue..?' said Paige. Phoebe appeared too busy struggling to breathe to take any more pat in the conversation. The sudden revelation of the familial connection between Paige and the man that Phoebe believed to be a glamouring Leo was a lot for her to process. Meanwhile Paige was perplexed by Prue's calmness and willingness to conceal the secret.

_Prue already knew_, Paige thought.

Piper returned to the dining room. 'Darryl's on his way…' Piper trailed off when she noticed Phoebe hyperventilating. 'Phoebe, what's wrong?'

Prue had put the pen down, but her eyes were still on the day planner. 'Phoebe's just having a little panic attack. Paige will be taking her upstairs with Louis _now_.'

Paige noticed the indirect order from the eldest sister. Slowly she took hold of Phoebe's shoulder. Louis gripped Paige's arm. Paige was a little too startled still to react fast enough to orb upstairs. Therefore Louis initiated the orbing, not that anyone in the dining room except for Paige noticed.

* * *

Phoebe, Paige, and Louis appeared in the attic. As soon as the orb was over, Phoebe ran to the other side of the attic and leant up against a cabinet, facing Paige and Louis. Phoebe's breathing rate was still increased and she was still not ready to speak coherently in between her gasps for air.

Paige and Louis exchanged anxious glances. Paige decided that she was the best one to start speaking.

'Phoebe, are you okay? Do you want a glass of water or something?' asked Paige.

Phoebe glared at Paige before shaking her head.

'Okay. You need a little bit more time. That's okay…' said Paige, trying to put on a smile.

Phoebe was still breathing very heavily, but had managed to slow it down enough to manage comprehendible words. With her eyes bulging in fury, Phoebe uttered, 'Now's _later_, Paige!' Phoebe coughed for a few seconds as her breath finally caught up with her. She pointed at Louis. 'Th – Th – That's Leo, isn't it? He's gl - glamouring, isn't he?' Phoebe paused, waiting for a response. Paige nodded sheepishly, while Louis took off the glamour, turning himself back into Leo. Phoebe decided to continue. 'White lighters can't die… Only the poison of a dark lighter's arrow can fatally wound them… So it should be obvious a wound from a mortal weapon like a gun would not harm you… It's a totally different question if I were to ask how a dead person could actually be knocked unconscious…'

Phoebe began to pace around the attic as she thought through what she was going to say next. She was no longer making any eye contact with Paige or Leo. Paige and Leo were now both backed up against a wall as they wanted to give Phoebe as much space to pace as possible.

Phoebe stopped pacing and looked directly at her younger sister and her white lighter. 'Paige _Wyatt_. _Wyatt_. _Wyatt_.' Phoebe paused to shake her head. 'Every time we think you have no more secrets, another – even bigger – one comes bursting around the corner!'

'Phoebe, cool your voice just a little. Piper's downstairs and –' Paige began, but stopped as Phoebe's cold glare returned.

Phoebe flailed her arms about as she expressed her frustration. 'Piper _has_ to know! I don't understand why you never told us that Leo adopted you! It makes so much sense now that you were being trained as a white lighter by him even before you knew you were magical at all! He was just using his adopted daughter to help him learn about his charges!'

'Please, Phoebe, we understand your frustration, but we need you to speak quieter,' said Leo.

'I don't have to comply with anything the two of you say!' said Phoebe, shaking her head.

Paige gulped. The idea that she had only turned up in her sisters' lives initially to help Leo out with his new charges had stung… but it was true.

'Phoebe,' began Paige. Her voice was quite hoarse and as low as a whisper as she tried to hold back tears. 'If Leo had never adopted me, I may have never found my real family… Prue, Piper, and you…' Paige paused to contemplate such an existence; the existence where her sisters did not know her, like that faked future. 'I may have never found out about magic or the destiny that I share with my amazing sisters.'

'Paige, I am grateful for that part,' mumbled Phoebe, shielding her eyes with her hand as she concentrated on what she was saying. 'What bugs me is that you kept this from us for so long. You obviously came here today with the premise of lying. I mean, I doubt Leo was going to glamour back into himself during dessert and go 'it was me all along!' like it's all been a light hearted joke.'

Paige shuffled her feet a little guiltily. She did not know what to say. She suddenly heard a creak beneath her. Looking down at the attic floorboards, she noticed one was loose. Paige desperately wished that she was small enough to hide away in the space beneath that floorboard so as she did not have to sit through the torture of Phoebe's reaction to this revelation.

'Piper _has_ to know! You dated her, Leo! You dated your adopted daughter's sister! Isn't there a law against that sort of thing?' asked Phoebe, a little disgusted.

Leo held his hands up in the air innocently. 'I am not related to Paige. I just raised her. There's nothing wrong with me dating Piper.'

Phoebe shook her head and looked away from the two guilt-ridden liars that stood in the attic with her. Suddenly she looked back towards the two of them, her eyes widening in shock as she realised what she had not yet covered in her ranting spree.

'_Prue knew?!_' Phoebe almost shouted in a high pitch shrill.

It was Paige's turn to hold her hands up innocently. 'To be fair, I never told her, and I did not even know for sure that she knew until the way that she acted so oblivious to the fact today. I still need to figure out how she found out and why she is so willing to help me conceal it.'

'Well, we may as well find out now,' said Phoebe, marching towards the attic door. 'We may as well tell Piper in the process!'

Paige sighed. She was not exactly going to stop Phoebe from telling Piper, considering it seemed that two out of three Halliwell sisters had already found out the big secret. Phoebe was already halfway down the attic steps before Paige decided to turn to Leo to see if he was going to join them back downstairs for the exposure.

'I should go,' said Leo quietly.

'You don't want to stay for the wrath of Piper and Phoebe? Add that to whatever torturous scheme of payback for lying Prue has up her sleeve? The fact that she knows but did not tell us she knows probably means her scheme involves making me insane with guilt,' said Paige, trying to lessen the impending downstairs atmosphere with humour.

'I – I can't,' said Leo. 'I don't want to be there when Piper finds out… The look on her face…' With a shameful expression, Leo orbed out.

Paige wondered for a brief second or two whether she would be better off orbing away too instead of facing her sisters. Making the crucial decision, Paige headed for the attic door. She knew she had to face the reaction that she would find down those dreaded stairs.


	29. Ms Hellfire (And Eldest's First Astral)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Derek will make another appearance soon, but not in this chapter. I don't mean to make the sisters OOC when it comes to keeping these secrets. It's just that there are particular episodes that revelations fit in with quite well, which kind of means that they have to be spread out. Aaaw, please don't be mad at Leo! I am just going by his season two personality where he had a one-track mind on winning Piper back.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Ms. Hellfire (And Eldest's First Astral)**

Despite Phoebe's head start on making her way downstairs from the attic, Paige managed to catch up a little so as she was only a few steps behind Phoebe on the final staircase to the foyer.

Paige was not trying to stop Phoebe. Paige just wanted to be there when Phoebe said it. Paige had to face the result of the revelation. Paige had never believed in the superstition that Friday the thirteenth was unlucky, but with the deadly shoot out followed by the news that Prue knew and Phoebe's own revelation, this one had definitely felt unlucky.

'Piper! Piper! Guess what I just found out about Leo! He's… He's…' Phoebe rounded the corner as she jumped off the steps and entered the dining room. However Paige could still hear her sister even though she had not yet reached the dining room. 'He's… Darryl! Hey Darryl!'

Paige skidded around the corner as she came to a stop at the dining room entrance. Phoebe was standing next to Piper, while Prue was standing next to Darryl, who was looking down at the hit woman's body. Darryl stood up and looked at all four sisters.

'This is serious,' said Darryl.

'Do you think you can help us though?' asked Prue.

'It's going to be difficult considering your justification of using self defence when she's the one covered with bullet holes and her finger prints are the only prints on the gun,' said Darryl.

'Darryl, please, we need you to sort out the law side of things, because we have a demon to find,' said Prue.

'A demon? There's a demon involved?' Paige asked.

'How do we know there's a demon involved?' asked Phoebe. She had decided that the reveal of the secret could wait, as the hit woman situation was currently more of a concern.

Prue showed Phoebe and Paige the day planner. Prue had it open to a different page. This page was dedicated to the four sisters. On the page, the following was written:

_Prue: Telekinesis_

_Piper: Power to freeze_

_Phoebe: Negligible_

_Paige: Ability to teleport (specific term to listen out for is: 'orb')_.

Phoebe scowled. 'Negligible? Really? This day just keeps getting worse.'

'So she knew about our powers?' said Paige.

'Prue and I were discussing the possibility that a demon hired her,' said Piper.

'I guess a demon wanting us dead would make more sense,' said Paige. 'Maybe they realised it's more difficult for us to deal with the law than it is to deal with vanquishing a vengeful demon.'

'We think the demon sent the hit woman after all the listed people on that list,' explained Prue.

Prue flipped back to the page with the list of names. Paige noticed that the name _P. Illgatt_ was now crossed out. This appeared to Paige to be another helpful move from Prue to avoid Piper or anyone trying to figure out where to find that person. The only name that was currently not crossed out other than _P. Halliwell_ was _M. Steadwell_.

'So we should really find that person,' said Phoebe. 'Finding out who they are, might help us figure out who the demon behind the assassin is.'

Prue nodded. 'Darryl was going to go and check that person out. Pheebs, could you go with him?'

Phoebe frowned. She glanced at Piper quickly before looking back at Prue. Paige was getting the impression that Phoebe did not want to be separated from Piper as she wanted to tell her about Leo. Paige was also getting the impression that this was the exact reason why Prue was sending Phoebe off with Darryl.

Darryl walked over to the dining room entrance and turned back to Phoebe. 'Phoebe, are you coming? I need to get going now.'

Phoebe hesitated before nodding. 'Okay.' She followed Darryl out of the dining room and then out of the manor.

Prue, Piper, and Paige were getting ready to head elsewhere. They were going to check out the apartment that the hit woman had a key for. They decided to use Paige's car, considering it was parked on the street over their drive, so it was blocking Prue's car and Piper's jeep on the driveway.

* * *

Whilst snooping around the apartment of the hit woman deemed 'Ms. Hellfire', the three sisters found a variety of outfits and wigs that contributed to the hit woman's many aliases. She had been sent roses by someone that went by the name 'Bane'. Prue even found herself trying on a long coat from the hit woman's wardrobe. The most interesting part of their visit was when three men entered with guns. The most startling part of their visit was when Prue told her sisters that she would pretend to be Ms. Hellfire and go with the currently frozen gunmen.

Piper and Paige watched from a concealed spot as the three men unfroze. Prue followed the three men out of the apartment.

The car ride back to the manor was silent. Piper and Paige had been unsure of what to say about their eldest sister's choice. Why would Prue decide to be so reckless? There were plenty of other ways for them to figure out who the demon behind all of this was, but was there?

* * *

When they got back to the manor, Paige went straight to the attic to look at the Book of Shadows. Meanwhile, Piper went next door to Dan's to ask for help with the shattered windows.

While sitting in the attic, flipping through the Book, Paige was wondering whether she should mention anything to Piper about the adoptive dad thing before Phoebe got the chance to. Surely it would be better for Piper to hear it from her than to hear it from Phoebe? Paige realised that she was not even focusing on the contents of the Book, so decided to put it down and head downstairs.

Paige found Piper in the dining room. She was using a dustpan and brush to gather the broken glass from the carpet, while talking to Dan, who was taking measurements of the window.

By the sounds of the conversation, Dan thought that the damage had been caused by a drive by shooting. Paige rolled her eyes. The one time that an explanation did not warrant hiding the existence of magic (despite a demon being behind it), and yet Piper was still lying.

Neither Piper nor Dan had noticed Paige's quiet entrance into the dining room. Dan started speaking to Piper about the possibility of her moving in to live with him now that Jenny was back with her parents.

Paige decided to save Piper from answering and save herself from having to listen to anymore of this private discussion by alerting them of her presence. Paige cleared her throat.

Piper stood up with the dustpan, full of shattered glass, and turned to face Paige. Dan jotted down some window measurements on a notepad before looking around at Paige.

'Hey Paige. Did you find anything about that thing you were researching?' Piper asked, looking relieved at avoiding an answer to Dan's question.

'I couldn't concentrate,' said Paige truthfully.

'I should go and get the equipment for these windows,' said Dan. 'I'll be back to sort it out before our date.'

'Thanks Dan,' said Piper as he left.

'You know you're not going to be able to avoid that question while you are on your date tonight, right?' said Paige.

Piper nodded and said guiltily, while looking down at her feet, 'I know.' Then she looked up at Paige and added, 'So what's on your mind?'

'Huh?' said Paige.

'You said you couldn't concentrate. What's bothering you? Derek? Powers? Demons? Family stuff?' said Piper.

'The last one,' said Paige quietly.

Piper frowned. She moved two chairs away from the dining room table. 'Take a chair.'

Paige sat down on one of the two offered seats. Piper sat on the other one.

'What's up?' said Piper. 'Is it me? Did I do something? Or is it Prue? Is it all of this protective eldest sister stuff that you are finding annoying? Or is it Phoebe? Quite honestly, there doesn't have to be a reason with her. She bothers everyone all the time.' Piper paused to wait for Paige's response to her Phoebe insult. Paige let out a small laugh and then Piper continued slightly more seriously. 'Or is it to do with Sam? I can understand if you are still upset. I don't think a death is something you can ever get over.' There was another brief pause before Piper continued. 'Or is this to do with what happened to Louis earlier? Did it scare you that he almost… didn't make it?'

Paige gulped to postpone answering for a couple of seconds longer. She knew she had to say it. She knew she had to tell Piper.

'Yes. It's about Louis,' began Paige. She was unable to look Piper in the eye. She was looking past Piper at the broken window. 'Except… he isn't… he isn't… he isn't who you think he…' Paige trailed off as she saw Darryl's car pull up on the street. Phoebe and a woman got out of the car before it drove off again.

'Paige? You were saying?' said Piper.

Paige turned her eyes away from the window and looked at Piper. 'Louis i–'

The front door swung open. This was immediately followed by Phoebe shouting: 'Prue? Piper? Paige? Anyone?'

Piper stood up and walked into the foyer. Paige followed her. Phoebe was shutting the front door. In the foyer with her was the unfamiliar woman.

'Hey Pheebs. Where's Darryl?' asked Piper.

'He dropped us off here before continuing straight to the morgue,' said Phoebe.

'Us? Who's your friend?' Piper asked. The unfamiliar woman was looking around the foyer in awe.

'M. Steadwell,' said Phoebe.

On hearing her name mentioned, the woman smiled at Piper. 'Hi. I'm Marcy. Are you all witches as well?'

'You're a witch?' said Paige, raising an eyebrow.

Piper flicked her hands up to freeze the room. Marcy froze.

Piper smiled. 'Obviously she's not a magical witch.'

'Thank you!' said Phoebe. 'She's been annoying me ever since Darryl and I saved her.'

'So are we thinking that everyone on that hit woman's list was a witch?' asked Paige.

Piper nodded. 'Which means we should check the Book for demons that want to kill…? How many names were on that list?'

'Twelve. Ten were crossed out, leaving P. Halliwell and M. Steadwell,' said Paige.

'So the demon wants to kill fifteen witches… Why?' said Piper.

'Fifteen? Where did you get fifteen from?' asked Phoebe.

'P. Halliwell. That's you, Paige, Prue, and I,' replied Piper.

'Prue…' said Phoebe, her eyes starting to wander around the foyer. 'Where is Prue?'

Piper and Paige exchanged glances. They both knew that Phoebe would be just as peeved as they were at the current whereabouts of Prue Halliwell.

'She's… er… She decided to take on the role of the hit woman and accompany some guys to meet the person that hired the hit woman,' said Paige. For some strange reason, Paige found that bad news a lot easier to reveal than the other news that she had been trying to tell Piper moments earlier.

'You're kidding me, right?' said Phoebe, raising an eyebrow.

Piper shook her head. Then she turned to Paige and said, 'Paige, go up and check the Book of Shadows. Look for any sort of demon that might want to kill fifteen witches. Try and concentrate this time. We'll finish our chat later.'

Paige nodded, but then did not move. She did not want to leave Phoebe alone with Piper. Paige was sure that Phoebe was waiting for Paige to leave so as she could give Piper the news. Paige wanted to tell Piper in her own words.

'Paige? The Book's upstairs. It won't come down here for you,' said Piper.

'Yeah. Er, Pheebs, can you take a look with me? My concentration's been a little off this afternoon, as Piper pointed out,' said Paige.

Phoebe glanced at Piper quickly before looking back over at Paige. It was obvious that Phoebe was eager to stay downstairs with Piper.

Phoebe eventually gave in, remembering innocents and demons came first. 'Fine.'

* * *

Not many words passed between the two sisters in the attic. Phoebe was keeping her thoughts to herself. Similarly so was Paige. After what seemed like hours of silence – but had been in fact only a quarter of an hour – Phoebe finally broke the silence.

'Paige, I don't want you to think I am mad at you,' said Phoebe. 'I was annoyed that you had been hiding something like that from us. Piper _needs _to know.'

Paige nodded. 'I know, and I will tell her in the next demon-free moment.'

Phoebe smiled slightly in the form of an apology. 'Okay. It's your right to tell her, _but_ please tell her after this demon is vanquished.'

'I promise,' said Paige, smiling softly.

Prue entered the attic, wearing the outfit that was not hers.

'I see you're back,' said Phoebe, looking up from the Book.

'Is Piper still downstairs?' asked Paige.

Prue nodded. 'She's keeping watch over Dan, who's fixing the window, while getting terribly annoyed by… was her name Marcy?'

'I am so glad you asked me to come up here, Paige. I get a break from the annoying Marcy,' said a relieved Phoebe. Then she changed her tone and said, 'Anyway, now that the three of us are here and casually checking the Book, can I bring up the fact that Prue knows a certain thing but has not voiced it to anyone yet?'

'No you can't bring that up, because we have a demon to find,' said Prue nonchalantly as if the topic of her knowing about Leo was nothing interesting or unusual. Then Prue continued. 'I can't stay here for long, otherwise they'll get suspicious. So tell me what you know so far.'

'Why should we tell you what we know, if you didn't let anyone know you knew about the Leo thing?' asked Phoebe. This remark earned a glare from Prue. Phoebe continued with what they knew. 'As you noticed, the other innocent on that list is safe.'

'We think the names on that list all belong to witches,' said Paige. 'Except the fact that they might not all be magical witches in the same sense as us.'

'And how many names were on the list?' Prue asked, trying to connect the dots.

'Twelve names. Piper was thinking that all four of us were included in the P. Halliwell, which makes fifteen,' said Paige. 'However, the three of us know that I was included under a certain other name. I don't know how the demon knows, but I would like to find that out.'

'So that means that the list may include fourteen names,' continued Phoebe. 'What demon would need fourteen witches?'

Prue shook her head. 'Just because the demon knew all of our powers, doesn't mean that they needed all of us dead. They probably just figured that killing all of us would be easier than only the necessary three.'

Paige narrowed her eyes. 'What are you saying?'

'Consider the possibility I wasn't included in that list of names,' said Prue, smiling.

A phone was heard ringing in the background. It quickly stopped. It was very likely that Piper had answered it.

'That would mean a list of thirteen witches for the hit woman to go after,' said Phoebe.

Prue nodded. 'Thirteen _single_ witches dead on Friday the thirteenth. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

'Barbas!' said Phoebe.

'I thought you vanquished him last year – without me. Remember?' said Paige. She was still a little disgruntled by being left out of that one vanquish, despite how long ago it had occurred.

'Obviously it didn't stick,' said Prue.

Piper walked into the attic with the cordless phone in her hand. She passed the phone to Prue.

'Prue, it's Andy,' said Piper.

'Oh,' said Prue, taking the phone and putting it to her ear. 'Hey Andy. Is everything okay?'

Piper turned to Phoebe and Paige and asked, 'Did the Book help?'

'No, but Prue did,' said Paige. 'I think we have our demon: Barbas.'

Piper's eyes widened in fear (ironically). 'We vanquished him already, didn't we?'

'I was left out of that vanquish, so don't ask me,' said Paige.

The three younger sisters turned back to Prue, who was still speaking on the phone.

'Okay. Is there any chance of phoning them back to reschedule?' asked Prue, frowning. After a pause, presumably filled with Andy's response, Prue said, 'Really? Ugh! This is just typical! No, I don't have time!'

'Any idea what this is about?' Phoebe whispered to Piper.

Piper shrugged. 'All Andy said to me on the phone was that he needed to speak to Prue.'

Prue had gone quiet again as she listened to whatever Andy was saying. She looked a little flustered and unsure of what to do. Suddenly Prue collapsed to the floor, dropping the phone in the process.

'Prue!' Piper shouted in distress. She knelt down by the figure of the collapsed sister.

Phoebe picked the phone up. 'Andy, don't worry. She just…' Phoebe trailed off and put the phone on a table. 'The phone broke from the fall.'

'Is Prue okay?' asked Paige. 'Do you think this is Barbas at work?'

Phoebe shook her head. 'If he hired a hit woman to come after us, why would he change tactics halfway through?' Then a smile appeared on her face as she said, 'Do you think she's pregnant? Fainting _is_ a pregnancy symptom!'

'Would you stop assuming I'm pregnant?'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned to the portal door which was now open. Prue – who had just spoken – had just walked through it with Andy. Prue and Andy's eyes wandered down to the unconscious figure of Prue lying on the attic floor.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed despite the lack of Piper's revelation within this chapter. Please review!


	30. Ms Hellfire (And The Truth Behind--)

**Chapter Thirty: Ms. Hellfire (And The Truth Behind Prue Knowing)**

Piper stood up from where she had been kneeling by her unconscious older sister. At the same time, Prue and Andy shut the portal door, unable to take their eyes off of the unconscious Prue. Phoebe and Paige were speechless.

'Prue, why are there two of you?' Piper asked.

'I really don't know,' said Prue, her eyes darting up from unconscious Prue to Piper. 'I was on the phone to Andy. He was telling me that a magazine had phoned the house, asking me to come in for an interview at four o'clock today.'

'I was telling Prue how she might not get another chance if she reschedules. They might go for someone else instead,' continued Andy.

'I knew I couldn't go today, because this demon stuff is more important, but at the same time, I have been waiting for a phone call for so long now!' said Prue, a little distressed.

'The phone went crackly while I was speaking to Prue and she appeared in front of me in a flash of red,' Andy continued for Prue. 'It made me jump at first, but I am getting used to this magic stuff.'

'Andy and I decided to go straight to the portal door to get back here and figure out what happened,' said Prue. 'To be as honest as possible, I did not expect to find myself still here. I thought I had somehow teleported. I didn't realise I'd… er… Is there a name for this?'

All eyes turned to Paige – also known as the Walking-Talking Book of Shadows amongst her sisters – who blushed, when all she could say was: 'Er, I don't know. Maybe it's astral projection?'

'A power advancement?' said Phoebe. 'Prue gets a power advancement to add to her telekinesis? That's so not fair!'

'Hang on, so I'm an astral projection of myself?' said Prue, or rather astral Prue.

Paige nodded. 'You should learn to control it soon. Not many witches come by that power naturally. Most witches learn it. So the fact that you naturally have the power should make it easier to control.'

Astral Prue closed her eyes in concentration. She was immersed in a red glow as she disappeared. Almost immediately Prue came back to consciousness, slowly sitting up, rubbing her head. Paige knew from experience that falling onto the attic floor was not something that you could get away from without injury.

Andy helped Prue to her feet as he asked, 'Can I comment on your outfit yet?'

'I don't know,' said Prue, smiling. 'Don't you like it?'

Andy chuckled. 'I didn't mean it like that. It's just not… It's not your usual style.'

'I'm on a bit of an undercover mission,' said Prue. 'Speaking of that, I should really get back to it before they come looking for me.'

'Undercover? They? Who?' asked a worried Andy. 'Prue, let me come with you. I'm a cop. I know how this undercover stuff works.'

Prue sighed. 'It could be dangerous. You are already…'

'Marked for death, I know. That won't stop me from going with you,' said Andy stubbornly. 'Put it this way. If the job calls again – they now have my phone number – you'll be able to speak to them right away, because I will be there with you. Hopefully you can do a phone interview with them instead.'

Prue did not look happy at the compromise, but she knew there was no time to waste arguing. 'A phone interview at the same time as a demon vanquish? I guess that's normal in the life of Prue Halliwell. Fine, but you have to realise that I am supposed to be a hit woman, so you have to pretend to be one of my accomplices or someone along those lines. Oh, and don't get jealous when you notice me flirting with Bane. It's all part of my undercover role.'

Andy frowned. 'Bane? Who's that?'

'I'll explain on the way,' said Prue, making her way to the attic door with Andy.

'Prue! Wait!' said Piper. When Prue stopped and turned around, Piper continued. 'You can't face Barbas without us.'

'I'll be fine,' said Prue. 'I faced him alone last time.'

'Yet he's still back this time,' Paige wanted to say, but she did not voice it. Paige was not really in a place to point that sort of thing out to the people who knew she had been lying about something major for a long time.

* * *

It was getting close to eight o'clock. Prue and Andy had been gone for almost five hours. Piper was in the foyer, thanking Dan for his work on fixing their windows, and cancelling their date. Phoebe was on the main phone (as the cordless was broken), letting the Tae Bo teacher know that she, Prue, and Paige were not attending that evening. Meanwhile Paige was on innocent watch. She was making sure that Marcy did not mess up the manor with the protection spell remedy the innocent was putting everywhere. Paige's mind was mostly on trying to figure out the best way to tell Piper the truth about Leo.

* * *

By ten o'clock, Darryl showed up at the manor. The three sisters had called him ten minutes earlier so as he could turn up and take Marcy out of their care. They were getting worried about Prue and Andy, so they had decided to go and look for them.

* * *

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige entered the apartment that belonged to Ms. Hellfire. It was now gone eleven o'clock. The apartment was pretty dim, but Paige saw something move in the corner of her eye with the help of light pouring into the room from the window.

'Prue?' Paige said.

'Prue, is that you? Are you okay?' Piper asked, who had also noticed the movement.

Phoebe switched the lights on, revealing an unconscious Andy lying on top of a smashed up desk. The movement that Piper and Paige had noticed was Andy's arm swinging back and forth in the air as it was not supported by the desk.

'This isn't good,' said Piper. 'If Andy's injured and unconscious, where's Prue?'

Piper suddenly flew into the wall and fell to the floor. Phoebe and Paige turned around to see Prue standing near the window. She had been in the adjacent room of the apartment the whole time. Prue swept her arm forward and Phoebe telekinetically flew into the wall alongside Piper.

'Prue?' said Paige, stepping backwards to try and reach Piper and Phoebe. 'What's wrong? Why did you do that to Piper and Phoebe? Did you do that to Andy too?'

Prue slowly walked towards Paige who was continuing to step backwards. Paige finally reached Piper and Phoebe. She grabbed their hands and orbed herself and the two of them into the adjoining hallway.

Piper and Phoebe got to their feet.

'What has happened to Prue?' asked Piper, rubbing her neck.

'It has to be something to do with Barbas,' said Phoebe, who now had a noticeable cut on her forehead.

Prue walked out of the apartment into the hallway. She sent a vase telekinetically flying at her three sisters. Piper flicked her wrists and the vase froze mid-air.

'Why didn't Prue freeze?' Phoebe asked.

'She may be acting strange, but she's not evil,' said Paige.

'Me? Evil?' said Prue, slowly approaching them. 'You're the evil ones.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were slowly backing away from the eldest Halliwell.

'Prue, it sounds like Barbas has brainwashed you,' said Piper.

'Barbas…' muttered Paige. 'He must be close by.'

'Uh, aren't you forgetting something? Such as a psycho brainwashed older sister that probably wants to vanquish us!' said Phoebe, a little anxiously, as they were still backing away from Prue, rather than running.

'Paige, we should really help Prue out first,' said Piper, reiterating Phoebe's words.

Paige nodded. 'You two do that. I'm going to go and find Barbas. He has some questions to answer.' Before Piper or Phoebe could argue, Paige orbed out.

* * *

Paige had orbed into a moonlit, empty apartment that was within the same building as the hit woman's apartment. A clock ticking away on the wall read 11:47. Hoping that Barbas was close by enough to hear her, Paige shouted into thin air: 'Barbas! Call yourself the demon of fear? Face me! Or are you scared?'

Paige smiled smugly as Barbas flamed into the apartment. His grey hair reflected the light of the moon. He grinned wickedly at Paige, showing his rotten teeth in the process.

'Paige Wyatt, I am glad that we get this chance to speak before you die tonight,' said Barbas. Paige immediately disliked the tone of his voice. He seemed too arrogant. 'I found it entertaining making your fear feel real to you last time.'

'Last time? You mean that illusion of Leo and the Elders finding out that my sisters were my sisters? Too bad for you that Leo knows now. Can't scare me about that one anymore,' said Paige, remembering it very clearly, and hoping Barbas did not lock onto the fact that the Elders still did not know. 'Besides how did you know they were my sisters? As well as that, how do you know my last name?'

Barbas chuckled to himself. 'I am the demon of fear. I can find out anything I want about my targets. Was I intrigued when I found out that you were related to the Charmed Ones? Of course. Despite Leo knowing they're your sisters, I am sure the Elders' reaction would be far worse.'

'And about my last name?' asked Paige, who was becoming impatient with Barbas. He seemed to love listening to himself speak more than the average demon.

'Same thing. I found it out when I read your fears last time around. Unfortunately your eldest sister vanquished me before I had the chance to do anything with that information,' said Barbas.

'Prue… Don't you dare speak about her. What did you do to her?' Paige said, annoyed.

'How can I answer that if you forbade me from speaking about her?' asked Barbas mockingly.

Paige glared at him. 'Maybe your vanquish will help turn her back to normal.'

Barbas shook his head conceitedly. 'What exactly are you going to do without the help of your sisters? Orb me into a volcano? Then again, with your powers, you would have to orb there too.'

Paige let out a quick laugh. 'You don't know about my new power, do you?'

Barbas' smile suddenly faded. He looked caught off guard. 'What do you mean? You don't have any active witch powers.'

'I think you're wrong,' said Paige, holding her left hand up in the air for Barbas to see. 'Let's see if I can control this.'

Paige's left hand began to glow blue. She grabbed Barbas' arm before he could respond to the revelation of the youngest Charmed One possessing an active power. Barbas' arm began to smoke as the acid caused harm.

Barbas flamed out of Paige's grip, disappearing. Paige winced, and waved her left hand around. It felt like she had burnt her hand. Apparently it was best to keep well away from a demon when they chose to flame. Barbas reappeared on the opposite side of the room with the help of his flaming power.

'Do you think you can stop me alone?' he asked. His mocking tone had been replaced with outrage. 'I am the demon of fear! You cannot stop me alone!'

Ironically the door of the apartment burst open just as Barbas said that. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe entered the room.

'Good thing she's not alone then, isn't it?' said Prue.

'Prue?' said Paige.

Prue smiled at her youngest sister. 'I'm back.'

'How did you find me?' asked Barbas.

'Bane told me,' said Prue. She motioned towards the open door, where the man known as Bane stood.

Barbas scowled. 'Why did I ever tell him that I was going to this apartment to confront an enemy? I shouldn't have ever expected a mortal to do a demon's job!'

'You shouldn't have tried to get a witch to do a demon's job either,' said Prue, telekinetically throwing Barbas against a wall. The wall trembled causing the clock to fall off of it onto Barbas' lap. The clock read 11:59.

'It doesn't look like you have much time left, Barbas,' said Phoebe. 'Do you think you can successfully kill Piper, Paige, and me in less than a minute?'

'I can try!' shouted Barbas, throwing the clock against a wall as he got back onto his feet.

'I don't think you can do much if you're frozen,' said Piper, flicking her wrists, freezing him.

Prue looked at her watch. 'We've got thirty seconds until midnight.'

'Could you explain what happened to Andy?' asked a curious Piper.

Prue looked extremely guilty. 'I attacked him while I was brainwashed. Thanks for unbrainwashing me, by the way.'

'That's not something you see on a thank you card these days,' said Phoebe.

The three sisters turned to look over at Barbas. The clock had begun to strike midnight and Barbas was being engulfed in flames as his time was up. He was being dragged back to the only place beneath the underworld.

'That's not a sight you get on the goodbye greeting cards these days,' said Piper.

'Andy,' said Prue, rushing out of the room, past Bane, to return to the apartment she had left Andy in.

Bane walked into the apartment where Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were still standing.

'Andy? I know she's not really the hit woman I hired, but what is Andy to her?' Bane asked.

Phoebe patted Bane on the shoulder. 'Sorry. He's her husband.'

'They're happily married,' added Piper.

* * *

It was the early hours of Saturday the fourteenth. Paige had gone straight to her bedroom when they had gotten back to the manor. She had not changed into pyjamas yet. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn for the dinner party: A pale blue short sleeved blouse with smart white trousers. A lot had happened in one day and she was still too distracted by it all to consider going to sleep. She still had the task of telling Piper the truth that was hanging over her head. As long as no demons got in the way, that was at the top of Paige's list at daybreak.

A flash of red lit up Paige's bedroom as astral Prue appeared. Her hair was tied back and she was dressed in pyjamas and a midnight blue dressing gown. Not used to her sister's new power, Paige initially jumped. When her quickened heart beat caught up with her, Paige turned on her bedroom light. Astral Prue sat down on the edge of Paige's bed.

'Hey Prue,' whispered Paige. 'What brings you back to the manor?'

'I needed to speak to you,' whispered astral Prue in reply. 'I had to go back with Andy first though to make sure he was okay. He fell asleep quite quickly. Even if he wakes up, he'll probably think I am asleep.'

'So what do you need to speak to me about?' asked Paige quietly.

'Piper,' whispered astral Prue. 'Specifically about you telling her about you-know-what.'

'I have already discussed that with Phoebe,' whispered Paige. 'I am telling her at breakfast as long as a demon doesn't attack.'

Astral Prue nodded. 'Okay, good. That's all I needed to know.'

'Before you astral out, A.P. –' Paige began, but astral Prue interrupted her.

'A.P.?' astral Prue questioned.

'Short for astral Prue,' said Paige with a grin. 'Before you astral out, A.P., can I ask you when you found out?'

Astral Prue sighed. 'When you got back from work on the day that Piper and I cast the reading thoughts spell, you walked into the living room thinking about Derek and Leo… I was in the living room at the time…'

'That was ages ago…' said Paige. 'Why did you never mention it? You were obviously mad about it.'

'Not mad, just annoyed,' said astral Prue.

'Hmm… Pheebs said something similar earlier today,' said Paige. 'So what stopped you voicing it?'

'I assumed you had your reasons,' replied astral Prue. 'Then when we made the deal about meeting your adoptive dad in person, I thought it would all be sorted. When someone that didn't look anything like Leo walked through the doors, I realised what you had done so I felt like asking questions that would catch the two of you off guard.'

Paige smiled half-heartedly. 'Your sly interrogation kind of got interrupted by the shooting. Yet you still helped out with the P. Wyatt name on the list _and_ when Phoebe figured it out.'

'That's because if anyone tells Piper, it has to be you. Not me. Not Phoebe. Not even Leo. It has to be you,' explained astral Prue.

Paige nodded silently.

Astral Prue stood up. 'I'll leave you to sleep for what's left of the night.' Astral Prue was engulfed in a red glow as she disappeared.

Paige went back over to the light switch, turning her bedroom light off. As she turned around to find her bed in the darkness, Paige saw purple orbs appear. If there were any black orbs amongst those, they were lost in the gloom. Paige could not mistake the fact that a dark lighter had just orbed into her room.

'Derek?' whispered Paige as she switched the light back on to reveal the aforementioned dark lighter.

Derek had bags under his eyes as if he had been losing sleep. His dark curly hair appeared a little messy and his face was a little stubbly from where he had not had time to shave recently. He was wearing a grey shirt with blue jeans and scruffy sneakers.

Paige frowned. 'Are you okay? It's been ages since your last visit. I was beginning to think that Leo had scared you away.'

'I have been researching about my power loss,' said Derek. His voice was a little rough as if he had not spoken to anyone in a long while. 'I think I have come to an answer, but I need you to accompany me. You can't orb there, so you'll have to let me do the orbing.'

Derek held out his hand for Paige to take. Paige considered not taking his hand for a brief second, but that thought quickly went ignored. She was happy to see Derek again and was intrigued to know what he had found out about his power loss.

Paige took hold of Derek's hand. She was surrounded by purple and black orbs as Derek orbed them away from Halliwell manor.


	31. Heartbreak City (And Darker Than Light)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. I cannot believe how many of you are enjoying the existence of an OC. Due to my lack of ideas to change the _Heartbreak City_ plot, this chapter is based all around Paige and Derek. I never thought that Charmed expanded enough on the mythology behind dark lighters. I have taken what had been known about them from the entire eight seasons and expanded on that _a lot_.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty One: Heartbreak City (And Darker Than Light)**

Paige and Derek materialised into an enclosed room. Paige let go of Derek's hand as she took a look at her surroundings. All walls except for one were covered with row upon row of shelves, the contents of which involved many different shapes and colours and objects contained within glass jars. _Potion ingredients_ was the first thought that flew into Paige's mind to explain what lined the walls. Huge arched double doors resided on the one wall that was not plastered with shelves. The doors were closed and had no door handle or hinges visibly in sight.

Paige's eyes wandered to the middle of the room where a cauldron hovered. Rather than sitting on the stone floor, the cauldron was being kept afloat by purple and black orbs. Steam was protruding from the cauldron. Paige took a step forward to glance in the cauldron, where she noticed that a greenish blue substance was bubbling away inside. Now that she was closer to the cauldron, Paige could smell the strong odour coming from it. The odour was not repulsive, but it was not pleasant either.

Paige turned around to face Derek, who had been watching her observe the place in silence.

'Where are we?' Paige asked.

Derek smiled. 'The vault.' Noticing Paige's puzzled expression, Derek continued. 'This is one of the many vaults that dark lighters use for poison making.'

Paige took a sudden step away from the cauldron and the shelves. Her eyes widened in shock. Had her sisters been right about Derek the whole time? Could just the whiff of that cauldron's substance have already poisoned her? Was she slowly being poisoned right now?

'Paige! Don't worry!' Derek said suddenly. 'The substance in the cauldron is not poison. I did not bring you here for revenge. I thought I had already clarified to you last time we spoke that all I wanted was your help.'

Paige relaxed a little. Something about Derek's tone made her believe that he was telling the truth.

'So what is the substance then?' asked Paige, glancing over at the cauldron.

'The results of my research so far into how to get my powers back,' explained Derek. 'The reason I have not been to ask you for help for the last few months is because I have been on the floor below this one, researching in the library.'

Paige furrowed her brow. 'I don't know what I am more surprised by: The fact that the underworld has a library or the fact that the underworld has anything other than you-know-what below it.'

Derek let out a small laugh. 'The underworld? Is that where you think we are right now?'

Paige shrugged. 'Isn't that where dark lighters reside?'

Derek rolled his eyes, smiling. 'You Charmed Ones really don't know your evil beings that well, do you?'

'What do you mean?' asked Paige, feeling like she had just been called stupid.

'Here's a pop quiz. Where do demons dwell?' asked Derek.

'Underworld,' Paige replied.

'Correct. Warlocks?'

'Underworld as well,' said Paige obstinately.

Derek shook his head. 'Wrong. Most warlocks live on the surface world, just like witches.'

Paige pondered the thought. _Jeremy. I never met him, but he was a reporter…Then the Rowe Coven who I also never met… They were a long line of warlocks… They all had identities in the normal world, the surface world_.

'Okay, so you've got me there,' said Paige. 'So do you mind educating me on dark lighters?'

'Gladly,' said Derek. 'The vault is one of many chambers within the Fortress. Different chambers and levels of the Fortress have different purposes. The Fortress can only be accessed by teleportation powers or potions. As our vaults are most vital in our constant battle against white lighters, they are cloaked from all teleportation except for dark lighter orbing. That's why I had to orb us here and you would not be able to follow me by orbing yourself. The vaults are cloaked so well that other beings – good or evil – cannot sense anything inside a vault.'

'Why don't you just cloak the entire Fortress from non-dark lighter teleportation and sensing? It would make a lot more sense,' Paige pointed out.

'No. Dark lighters often orb potential white lighters back to the Fortress in order to trap the white lighter that will follow. Therefore we need the white lighter to be able to sense and orb,' explained Derek.

'Wow. This place is well thought through,' said Paige. 'I don't even know if the Book of Shadows has this much information on dark lighters… Wait, why are you telling me all of this?'

Derek smirked. 'I don't know. I guess I _trust_ you with that information.'

Paige blushed a little, but quickly tried to hide it, by looking around the vault again. While still facing away from Derek, Paige asked, 'So why did you need to bring me here to help?'

'I was using the library downstairs, going through book after book of dark lighter history, to find out whether any dark lighter had lost their powers before me,' said Derek.

'History… Dark lighters… Get it so far,' said Paige, nodding as she turned back around to face him. 'Before you tell me whether any had, can I ask another question?'

Derek nodded. 'Go ahead.'

'Where do dark lighters come from?' Paige asked. 'I have looked through the Book of Shadows countless times before with no success. I have even asked Leo tonnes of times over the last two decades and he never seems to give me a straight answer.'

'I guess the stork answer is out of the question,' said Derek, smirking. Then deciding to add a serious answer, he said, 'Remember what Alec's specific dark lighter role was? Well, it's a common misconception that that's how, er, the dark lighter population continues.' Derek paused to take note of Paige's quizzical expression. 'Dark lighters came into existence around the same time as white lighters. In the same way that warlocks may have initially originated when a witch turned evil, dark lighters may have initially originated when a white lighter turned evil. There is a whole myth behind the first white lighter that went evil.'

'Hang on, how can a white lighter possibly do something evil? Healing, orbing, sensing… None of those can have a negative impact,' Paige pointed out.

'Apparently he teamed up with demons, giving them insider information on the Elders' plans,' continued Derek. 'He found the perfect serum to kill his own kind, and in exchange for killing white lighters – so as witches would be more vulnerable – a wizard used dark magic to modify that specific white lighter's powers. He became the first dark lighter. No one knows his name or whether he is still around to this day.'

'Okay, that explains how dark lighters originated, but how did one become a whole population?' Paige asked.

'Some are recruited like white lighters, except for two major differences: Potential dark lighters are mortals that have questionable moralities,' explained Derek. 'The other major difference is that we are not dead… The mortals are chosen, taught what we do, tested, and then given dark lighter powers.'

Paige nodded. 'So you used to be mortal?'

Derek shook his head. 'I said _some_ are recruited. Not all. I was born into this. Both my mother and father were dark lighters.'

'Wow… Just wow… This is a lot of information to take in…' said Paige, a little taken aback by how little she had known and how much Derek was willing to tell her. 'So are dark lighters immortal like white lighters?'

'Nope. Only the original dark lighter has that benefit, because he was originally a dark lighter,' said Derek. 'Not even his descendants can inherit the immortality, in the same way that you probably won't outlive your birth dad as he's a white lighter.'

Paige suddenly became downcast. 'Unless of course he was a mortal again after his wings were clipped and was killed the same day that I met him…'

Derek frowned. 'Did that..? I didn't know… I didn't mean to say…'

Paige's melancholy shifted to surprise as she felt Derek place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'I am sorry to hear that,' he said.

Paige furrowed her brow. First Derek said he trusted her, and now he was being apologetic and sympathetic. What had caused this change in him? Did he like her in the same way that she liked him?

'It's okay,' said Paige, feigning a weak smile. 'So about dark lighters… Aren't there loads of different types?'

Derek took his hand off Paige's shoulder and continued his not-so-brief overview of dark lighters. 'Well, when categorising dark lighters, it is a lot more complicated than with white lighters where you have white lighters out on the field and then their bosses being Elders – you know, upper-level white lighters, per se.'

Paige nodded. 'How complicated are dark lighters?'

'Well, you have three overall categories: The dark lighter council who oversee everything. They're made up of the original dark lighters' known descendants and a select few other dark lighters; the field based dark lighters; and the HQ based dark lighters.'

'HQ based?'

'I couldn't think of the right terminology for it,' said Derek. 'They don't get sent out on missions like we field based dark lighters do. They remain behind in the Fortress, working on improving poisons, or producing arrows, or other boring details.'

'So what's your role as a field based dark lighter?' Paige asked, continually having more and more questions popping into her head. She had almost forgotten about why they were there in the first place.

Derek smiled. 'It will probably help if I explain each field based role. From a very young age, dark lighters are assigned a specific role and then trained in that role. The different roles include: Cupids – that's what Alec was and the name of it is purposefully not threatening as they are all about manipulation; Assassins – they are the type that target white lighters in order to leave their charge's vulnerable to other evil beings; Spirit Killers – the only dark lighter type not equipped with a crossbow, they are trained to use mind manipulation to stop potential white lighters from ever becoming white lighters; Trackers – they hunt white lighters that are about to lose their wings. Trackers can be a bit irritable and are never fun to work with; and then there's what I do…'

'What do you do?' Paige asked, rephrasing her previous question.

'I spy,' said Derek. 'How do you think dark lighters find out about potential white lighters or other information like that? Some dark lighters are sent out to spy. We inconspicuously follow white lighters around on the surface and listen for any information about new charges. There's a lot more detail involved in my role than that, but there's no need for that right now.'

'If you are a spy, why do you need a crossbow? Especially as Spirit Killers don't,' said Paige.

'In case I get found out.' Derek's smile vanished as he added, 'Not that it matters at the moment, considering my power-lacking situation.'

'Which brings us right back around to: Why am I here?' said Paige. 'Sorry for making you go off on a tangent. It's not everyday a dark lighter opens up to me.'

Derek shrugged and managed a smile. 'Like I said, I trust you. Besides it gives you less of a chance to refuse helping me once I finish explaining what I have learnt about my power loss.'

Paige nodded. 'So you were saying something about dark lighters losing their powers in the history books…'

Derek took a deep breath as he began his explanation. 'I found one recorded case of it occurring.' Derek stopped there and Paige waited for him to continue, but he did not.

_So much for an explanation_, she thought, before saying out loud, 'And? What caused it?'

'I glossed over that part. I went straight to the cure,' said Derek.

Paige sighed. 'Have you got the book in here? Can we see what the cause was? I really want to know what the cause was.'

'The book's downstairs in the library,' said Derek. 'What matters is the cure. I have made up the cure in this cauldron. There's only one thing missing.'

'What's that?' asked Paige, a little peeved that they could not look at the book.

'For a witch to recite this spell,' said Derek, passing Paige a scrap of paper with a spell scrawled on it. 'Apparently the spell magically enhances the potion.'

Paige took the scrap of paper and peered down at it. She looked back up at Derek and shook her head.

'Are you refusing to help?' asked Derek. He did not look angry. He seemed more shocked than annoyed.

'Like I told you last time we spoke, I can't give you your powers back if you're going to use them for evil,' said Paige.

'Then why did you come with me?' asked Derek. His expression looked more disappointed than shocked now.

_I wanted to see you_, thought Paige. Instead she said, 'I wanted to find out what had caused it and I still do. Take me to the library.'

'I can't,' said Derek. Before Paige could argue, Derek continued with: 'A half white lighter walking the corridors of the Fortress? Do you know just how dangerous that is?'

'Then orb me straight to the library,' said Paige.

'No,' said Derek. 'There could be dark lighters there too. This whole place is full of dark lighters.'

'I can defend myself,' said Paige. 'I do face demons on a weekly basis.'

'That's only one demon at a time usually. One demon against four Charmed Ones on your territory,' said Derek. 'We're talking a cohort of dark lighters on their own turf armed with weapons that could poison you at first contact.'

'I don't care,' said Paige. 'I'll orb away if I have to.'

Before Derek could persuade her not to, Paige turned to the huge arched doors and pushed them open. Paige had walked out of the vault into a dimly lit hall. The walls were lined with a dark grey stone and the floor was made of a similar dark grey stone. The hall was lit by the daylight outside. There were no dark lighters currently present in the hall.

Paige noticed that Derek was walking beside her. He was obviously not going to let her find her way to the library by herself.

'I see day light. Where exactly is the Fortress based?' asked Paige.

Derek shrugged. 'I don't know. It's an answer that only the council knows.'

Paige and Derek had entered a narrow corridor which was similarly made up of grey stone walls and floors and lit by light pouring in from the windows. Paige tried peering out of the windows to figure out where the Fortress was situated. However mist concealed the atmosphere outside. The only thing able to penetrate the mist was the day light.

Eventually the part white lighter and the powerless dark lighter reached a stone spiral staircase. They still had not come face to face with any other dark lighters yet. Paige and Derek made their way down the cold stone steps. As they reached the floor below, Derek indicated for Paige to exit the staircase onto that floor and continue along the corridor. Derek was constantly keeping watch for any dark lighters.

Fortunately for the two of them, their route to the library was clear of any dark lighters. The library itself was empty. The library was relatively small with one solitary table near the entrance. The rest of the space was filled with shelves of books. The shelves towered higher than the eye could visibly see.

Craning her neck upwards to try and figure out how high up the shelves went, Paige said, 'We are only one floor below the one we were just on, right? The trip down the stairs did not seem to take that long.'

'Just because dark lighters cannot cast spells or make enchantments, it doesn't mean we don't have the contacts that can do it for us,' clarified Derek.

Paige turned to Derek and nodded. Derek then proceeded to go along one of the aisles. Paige followed him. The shelves seemed just as wide as they were high. Her original thought that the library was relatively small had turned out to be very wrong. Paige and Derek had been walking down an aisle for ages before they came to a stop.

Derek picked up a dark purple leather bound book and opened it. He began to flip through it looking for the right page. The title of the book was: '_Darker Than Light: Extraordinary Accounts Over The Years_'. Derek finally found the page he had been looking for and handed the open book to Paige.

Paige began to read the page the book was open to:

'_In the year 1609, a dim witted dark lighter by the name of Gregory Jones – a low level relatively unknown, Cupid class dark lighter – fell in love with his target, a mortal. The spread of this news pushed his name into the lime light and Jones became a laughing stock in dark lighter society. He was stripped of his role as a Cupid class dark lighter. However, according to the accounts of that time, Jones was never stripped of his powers. Instead it has been stated that Jones lost those abilities (all except for orbing) long before he was found out._

_According to the records, Jones' family helped come up with a cure (ingredients and method are found below) to his power loss. However there has been no record of whether this cure to get his powers back was successful or of what happened to Jones afterwards._

_Some believe that the cure did not work and that Jones fled to the surface world to start a new life under a new guise away from the plights of magic_.'

Paige stopped reading there. The only thing beneath this passage was the ingredients and method for creating the cure, as well as the spell that had to be said by a witch. Paige looked up at Derek who was looking down at his feet. He obviously had not noticed that she had finished reading.

'I wanted to read this passage to see what the cause was,' Paige spoke up.

Derek looked up at the sound of Paige's voice. He stared directly into her eyes as she stared back.

'What was it?' asked Derek.

'Do you… Uh, it's kind of embarrassing to ask…' said Paige, trailing off.

'Ask the question, Paige,' said Derek. 'Don't be afraid to ask the question.'

Paige gulped. 'Do you happen to li –' Paige was cut off by the sound of raised voices outside the library. The raised voices were surrounded by the sound of an explosion.

Derek grabbed Paige's hand and the two of them began to run back towards the library entrance – towards the source of all the noise. Paige dropped the book to the ground as they continued to run.

Derek reached the entrance, let go of Paige's hand, and pushed the library door open. He walked out into the corridor to find the source of the noise. Paige did the same, stopping by his side to observe the scene.

Four dark lighters surrounded their enemy. One of the four appeared to be frozen and he burst into flames as one of his companion's arrows flew into his chest. Now that only three dark lighters remained, Paige was able to peer past them to see who their opposition was.

Paige's eyes widened in surprise. She had no idea what they were doing there. She took a quick glance at her watch. Apparently it was only two a.m. in the morning. Paige had not even been absent from the manor for an hour, yet they had already come looking for her. Paige did not think they had noticed her hiding out of sight at the library's entrance yet. They seemed focused on the three dark lighters that were currently blocking their path.

Standing side by side – ready to face the remaining three dark lighters that stood in the way of their search for Paige – were Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.

* * *

**A/N:** And here's a shameful plug for my new fan fiction, _Eight_. It's a complete rewrite of season eight that will hopefully be nothing like the original season eight. The first chapter (which technically counts as the first 'episode') is already up and if you haven't read it yet, you may want to give it a try.


	32. Heartbreak City (And All About Trust)

**A/N:** The questions left over from the last chapter (How did the sisters find Paige?/How did they know where she was?) will be answered in this chapter. They were always going to be explained in this chapter. Thanks to everyone that's been reviewing.

Also, you may have noticed a slow down in PWABL chapter updates. That's because _Reckless Abandon_ is next (which consists of only two chapters), and after that, I won't have anymore chapters to post, because I cannot get myself to write my version of _Animal Pragmatism _(I keep trying to start it, but it's difficult with the hot weather and other factors). And yes, I realise _Awakened_ comes between those two, but I want to be able to change _Awakened_ if I find that I can't get _Animal Pragmatism_ to work. In other words, this rewritten series is going to get a bit of a break exactly halfway through (between episodes 11 and 12).

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two: Heartbreak City (And All About Trust)**

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe stood in the narrow corridor with its grey stony walls and floors, waiting for the three dark lighters to make their move. Similarly the three dark lighters were waiting for one of the Charmed Ones to attack. Overall, this had resulted in a stare down between the six figures as they waited for someone to attack.

From her position at the library entrance, Paige began to run forward, but someone was holding her back. She looked around to see Derek's hand on her shoulder. He was holding her back. His eyes were on the six figures down the corridor. She knew he did not want her to get noticed by the dark lighters, because of her white lighter vulnerability, but Paige had to help her sisters.

Paige orbed a few paces away from Derek so as she could free herself from his grasp. She immediately realised her mistake. The three dark lighters that had been locked in a stalemate battle with the three eldest Charmed Ones had sensed Paige orbing. They turned around and shouted at her. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe took this chance to each throw a vanquishing potion at each of the distracted dark lighters. The three dark lighters erupted in flames and Prue, Piper, and Phoebe began to run down the corridor towards Paige.

That part had not been the mistake. The mistake was the fact that around ten or more dark lighters had suddenly orbed in around the library entrance, having all sensed that a white lighter had orbed within the Fortress.

Getting to Paige just in time, Prue was able to deflect some arrows telekinetically; Piper froze any flying arrows and dark lighters that she could; and Phoebe fought dark lighters, using hand to hand combat. Derek was also engrossed in fighting some of the dark lighters in order to protect Paige. Although he currently had no offensive powers, he would orb out of the way of attacks, and throw punches to defend himself.

A dark lighter that had been kicked across the floor by Phoebe had lost track of his crossbow. However he had a fresh arrow in his grasp. The dark lighter swept his arm forward, with the arrow pointing outwards, as he ran straight for Paige. Paige immediately orbed out of his path. He came to a stop by a wall. Paige orbed back to where she had previously been standing. The dark lighter slowly turned and before he noticed Paige was standing there, she grabbed the arm that held the poisonous arrow.

The dark lighter snarled and used his strength to move his arm down towards her. Paige was not strong enough to hold his arm back. Paige's hand suddenly glowed with blue and white orbs as her acidic power took effect. Screaming in anguish, the dark lighter let go of the arrow as he burst into flames. Owing to a vigilant Piper, the arrow froze in mid-air. Paige moved out of the way of the frozen arrow and joined the rest of the fight.

After a little more fighting, the four Charmed Ones had managed to defeat the majority of the dark lighters that had dared attack them on that specific corridor. Other dark lighters had momentarily fled to safety. The only dark lighter still in their presence was Derek.

Prue held a potion vial in her hands. She looked ready to throw the vial at Derek. Paige grabbed Derek's hand. She did not know who was more surprised at this action: her sisters, Derek, or herself.

'Derek helped us fend off the dark lighters that found us here. You saw him help,' Paige said, making her case. 'We're the Charmed Ones. We only vanquish in self-defence or to save an innocent.'

Prue did not release her grip on the vanquishing potion. Nor did she make a response. It was possible that she was pondering Paige's words, but not letting her guard down.

'How did you three even know I was gone? Prue, you astralled back after our talk, and –' Paige turned to face Piper and Phoebe. '– as far as I know you two were asleep. How did you know I was gone?'

'How long were you expecting us to sleep for, Paige?' said Piper, acting as if Paige had just said something that made little to no sense.

Paige frowned. 'We had just vanquished Barbas… So I was hoping, at least a few hours. I mean, I haven't had one bit of sleep since and I am feeling it.'

Prue finally let her guard down as she exchanged an expression of concern with Piper and Phoebe.

'Paige…' began Prue. 'We vanquished Barbas eight days ago.'

'Which is around the same sort of time that you disappeared,' continued Phoebe before Paige even had the chance to process what Prue had said.

'Sorry, did I mishear you?' said a gobsmacked Paige. '_Eight_ days ago?' When her sisters all nodded, glum looks on their faces, Paige glanced down at her watch. It was now around two thirty a.m. 'You can't be right. It's only been one and a half hours since I left the manor!'

Piper shook her head. 'Paige, it's been eight days.'

'How?' asked Paige, completely perplexed. She turned to Derek to see his take on it all. 'Derek, you can back me up! I only arrived here one and a half hours ago, didn't I?'

Paige suddenly noticed Derek's sheepish expression as he began to say, 'This is my fault… Well, the vault's fault, to be more precise…'

'Excuse me?' said Paige.

'Remember when I told you the vault was cloaked so as only dark lighters can sense or orb inside?' asked Derek. 'Does that remind you of any other type of magical cloaking system used in the good community?'

Paige considered this for a second before saying, 'Ohh, up there. Only white lighters can orb up there… And it is so easy for time to go slower up there than on the surface world…'

'Yeah…' said Derek. 'I sort of – kind of – may have – forgotten to mention that to you.'

'We have been taking turns to try and locate you for the past eight days,' said Prue. 'We only got a lock on you today.'

'Oh, that must have been when we left the vault,' explained Derek. 'As I said, anyone can access any other area of the Fortress.'

'Fortress? Isn't this an area of the underworld?' asked Phoebe.

'You're the ones who somehow got here. You should know,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but we used a teleportation potion to take us straight to you, give or take a few dark lighters standing in our way,' said Piper.

'Enough chitchat,' Prue finally said. 'Paige, we came here to get you back home. Where it's safe. You may think Derek's okay, but this place is still dark lighter central.'

'Plus we have a ring-less Cupid waiting around at the manor,' said Phoebe. 'Leo may be keeping watch over him at the moment, but if Drazi shows up again, they'll need our help.'

'Oh and Leo is getting anxious. He is the one that finally sensed your location, but he knew he could not come. You're his charge, so he wants to know you are okay,' said Piper.

Paige blushed. She had told Prue and Phoebe that she would tell Piper the truth about Leo the following morning. To Paige that morning had not come yet, but to Prue and Phoebe, it had been eight whole days since that promise. They had both obviously kept quiet about the whole adoptive father scenario over all that time.

'Of course I am going to come back to the manor,' said Paige. 'I only intended to go away for a few hours, despite those few hours turning into… eight days.'

Paige still could not quite grasp the concept that she had been gone so long. An hour in the vault was the same as eight days elsewhere.

'Let's orb out and hope we don't get any dark lighters following us to the manor,' said Paige.

Paige took Prue and Phoebe's hands. Piper took Prue's hand. Paige smiled at Derek as she orbed out with her sisters. As the four sisters appeared in the manor living room, Leo jumped up from his seat.

'Great. Looks like a dark lighter did follow us back,' said Prue sarcastically.

Paige turned around to see what Prue was referring to. Derek was standing in the living room after having orbed in. The glare Derek received from the three older Charmed Ones and the white lighter made him roll his eyes.

'I thought I could give a hand in this Cupid-Drazi case,' said Derek with a smirk. 'Besides I am waiting on an answer from Paige about something else.'

Paige suddenly remembered the spell that Derek was on about. Before she could make a quick comment on that, Paige noticed the Cupid standing in the corner of the room. His shoulders were slouched and he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he did not feel like part of the conversation and did not want to intrude.

'So could I get the Cliff Notes version of this Cupid-Drazi situation?' Paige asked her sisters and Leo.

'When he leaves,' said Prue, looking at Derek.

'He's not leaving just yet,' said Paige. Trying to break the tension, Paige added, 'Remember our agreement, Prue? I kept to my side about the dinner meeting even if it did not go to plan. So please keep to your side.'

Prue let out a sigh. 'Fine, but if he makes one false move – I won't vanquish him, but I will force him to leave.'

Paige smiled and nodded. 'Deal.' Paige took a deep breath before saying, 'So what do I need to know?'

Piper pointed at the Cupid. 'This is a Cupid. A demon called Drazi stole his ring.'

'We thought we vanquished Drazi,' continued Prue. 'Apparently, while he has Cupid's ring, he's not susceptible to vanquishes.'

'Drazi came back with revenge by breaking Prue and Andy, and Piper and Dan up,' continued Phoebe. 'Fortunately, just before Leo turned up with the news that he had sensed you, I managed to get the aforementioned couples to make up.'

'Andy and Dan are here?' said Paige. 'Er, isn't that dangerous for Dan to be around considering your aforementioned demon?'

'I sent Andy and Dan off to the store _before_ Leo orbed in,' said Phoebe. 'Hopefully we can vanquish Drazi before they get back. Andy knows that he needs to keep Dan away from here for the time being.'

'Leo, you should go before Dan gets back here,' Piper quickly added. 'I don't want to have two fights with him in one evening.'

Leo sighed and nodded. Leo's gloomy glance towards Piper quickly changed into an angry glare as he looked over at Derek.

Derek shrugged mockingly. 'What can I say? I am obviously more welcome in this house than you.'

Leo scowled at Derek. 'Take that back!'

Derek laughed. 'The facts don't lie.'

Before the pacifist could retort, Drazi made his appearance right next to the Cupid. The Cupid yelled out in pain as Drazi stuck his hand through the Cupid's chest, grabbing his heart.

Piper reacted quickly, freezing the Cupid and the demon. Phoebe ran forward and moved the ring from Drazi's hand to the Cupid's hand. Phoebe then picked up the vanquishing potion and threw it over Drazi. The pair unfroze as Drazi melted into a black tar-like substance.

While the Cupid said his goodbyes to Phoebe, the other three sisters stood in the foyer with Leo and Derek.

'I still don't see why you needed to come along,' Prue said to Derek. 'We didn't need your help at all.'

'Looks like you didn't need Paige's help either,' Derek pointed out.

'We did not go to dark lighter central just to get Paige back for a vanquish!' said Piper. 'She's our sister. She'd gone missing. We had been looking for her.'

'I went with Derek of my own accord,' said Paige. 'Even if I did not quite realise the time difference.'

'Paige, you shouldn't have gone,' Leo said disapprovingly.

'Why not?' Paige asked.

'For starters, you have white lighter genes!' Leo said. 'Not to mention he's evil!'

'Evil is such a strong term,' said Derek, smirking.

Keys were heard turning in the front door. The silhouettes of Andy and Dan were visible on the other side of the glass.

'Dan's back! Leo, quick! Leave! Orb! Whatever!' said Piper.

Leo glared once more at Derek before orbing out. The door opened and Andy walked in, closely followed by Dan. Prue and Piper left Paige with Derek, while they went over to their respective partners.

'Looks like my sisters trust you enough to not keep tab on you the whole time while you are here,' said Paige.

Derek shrugged. 'I think they trust your opinion, rather than specifically trusting me.'

'Trusting my opinion's good enough,' said Paige. After a brief moment of silence between the two, Paige suddenly said, 'So… The cause of your power loss…'

'The answer to the question that you never finished asking me earlier is yes… I might _like_ you,' said Derek.

Paige managed a smile. 'I might _like_ you too, but…' Paige hesitated and her smile vanished. 'I can't say the spell for you… I hope you can understand…'

'If I am not going to be using my powers for evil, then what does it matter?' asked Derek.

'If you are not going to be using them for evil, then what do you need them back for?' asked Paige. 'The arrows are weapons against white lighters.'

'How about the Touch of Death?' asked Derek.

'The clue's in the name, isn't it?' asked Paige. 'Look, I know you want your powers back, but… I can't do that for you… I just… I can't… I'm sorry…'

Derek looked annoyed. Checking that Dan was nowhere within sight, Derek orbed out in a huff. Paige sighed and looked up to see Phoebe watching her from the living room entrance.

Phoebe approached Paige. 'Is everything okay?' Phoebe asked.

'I thought you would be jumping with joy that Derek and I were having a disagreement,' said Paige, wandering into the living room with Phoebe.

'Well, I guess working with a Cupid today has sort of opened my eyes to the many routes that love can take… Whether the routes are forbidden or not,' said Phoebe.

Paige's eyes widened in realisation. 'Did you like that Cupid?'

Phoebe blushed. 'I never said that. All I said was that he helped me.'

'Right,' said Paige, suddenly smiling again. Then in a childish voice, Paige began to say, 'Phoebe and Cupid sitting in a tree –'

Paige was interrupted by Phoebe throwing a cushion at her. Paige ducked and threw one back. Paige then orbed out of the way of a cushion that was coming in her direction, reappearing after the cushion had landed.

Piper came walking into the living room. Noticing the cushions littering the floor, Piper said, 'You better have this cleared up by the time I get back tomorrow morning.'

'Tomorrow morning?' asked Paige.

'I was going to head around Dan's in a second,' said Piper. 'He went back a few minutes ago. I needed to stay here a little longer to make sure all our demon stuff was done with for today.'

'It's done,' said Phoebe, nodding. 'Drazi's gone, even Derek's gone, and Paige is still here this time…' Phoebe trailed off for a second. 'Hey Paige. You are _here_, Piper is still _here_, and we're currently _demon free_. Ring any bells of a conversation that seems longer ago to me than it does to you?'

Piper looked puzzled at Phoebe's words. However Paige understood and nodded.

'Piper, er, do you think you could stay here a little longer?' asked Paige. 'I need to finish the conversation we were having many hours ago – I mean, last week, while Prue was pretending to be an assassin and Phoebe was finding the innocent.'

Piper had to think back a little bit, but she nodded when she remembered. 'Something had been bothering you. It was family related, right?'

Paige nodded. 'This can't wait any longer. I _have_ to tell you.'

Piper sat down on the now cushion-lacking sofa. Paige sat down next to her. It had been less than an hour since Drazi had been vanquished. Prue and Andy had gone back to their house; Dan was waiting for Piper to come over to his house; Leo had left after being asked to leave by Piper; Derek had orbed out in a strop – despite admitting that he had feelings for Paige – after a disagreement over the cure to get his powers back; and Phoebe had fled the scene of the living room to give Paige a chance to speak to Piper.

Paige looked down at her feet as she began to say, 'Remember I said that the issue was to do with my adoptive dad? Well, my adoptive dad is not who you think he is. Piper, you know that white lighters can glamour, right?' Paige paused and looked up at Piper, who nodded for Paige to continue. 'Well… Leo was pretending to be Louis.'

Piper frowned. 'Why would Leo pretend to be your adoptive father, Paige?'

'Louis does not exist,' said Paige. She noticed Piper's puzzled expression. Paige almost immediately followed the previous sentence with the one that everything had always been leading up to: 'Leo is my adoptive father.'

Piper's puzzled look was replaced with a smile. 'That's a good one, Paige. You almost had me there.'

Paige sighed. Piper thought it was a joke, but Paige now had to break it as gently as possible to her that it wasn't.

'Piper, it's true,' said Paige. Her serious expression did not waver as she voiced those three words.

Piper's smile faded and her eyes widened in alarm. 'I don't think I understand… I think I'm the one who's mishearing things now…'

Paige shook her head. 'You heard me correctly.'

Piper slumped back against the sofa – only to realise that there were no cushions as the cushions were still littering the floor – as she took it all in. Piper put her hands to her face before running her hands up through her hair in exasperation.

'So you're trying to tell me that when Mum and Sam gave you up… They left you with… Leo?' said Piper. Her tone was full of disbelief.

Paige nodded. 'I don't think they realised back then that Leo would be assigned as your white lighter. Good thing he was, or I probably would have never found you, Prue, or Phoebe.'

Piper stood up. She was no longer making any eye contact with Paige.

'So you're trying to tell me that all this time Leo has been your adoptive father and you never told us?' asked Piper, her gaze directed at the switched-off television.

'Yes…' said Paige sheepishly.

'Why did you lie?' Piper asked, still looking at the television rather than her baby sister.

'It's complicated,' said Paige.

'Tell me,' said Piper stubbornly.

'First there was the fact that Leo was initially undercover. Then there was the fact that I was also initially undercover. Then there was me finding out that I was related to you…' said Paige.

'You are listing facts, Paige. I don't need facts. I need to know what the complication was,' said Piper.

Paige winced. This was nothing like the revelation in the faked future. At least in the faked future, the sisters had only just met Paige, so finding out who she was had not been like she had been lying to them the whole time.

'You and Leo. That's the complication,' said Paige quietly.

Piper shivered. 'Well, good thing that's over, isn't it? snapped Piper.

Piper briskly walked out of the living room. Paige stood up and followed her into the foyer. Piper had already opened the front door.

'Where are you going?' Paige asked.

Without turning around to face Paige, Piper said, 'Dan's house, remember?'

'We haven't finished our conversation,' Paige said.

'Oh, I think we have,' said Piper, shutting the front door.

Paige was left staring at the front door, unsure whether or not to go after Piper. Phoebe walked into the foyer as Paige turned away from the front door.

'I think Piper hates me,' said Paige.

Phoebe tried to smile encouragingly, but there was really nothing to smile about. 'Give her time.'

* * *

**A/N:** Oops. Almost forgot to mention that, obviously, I had no idea what to do with the original _Heartbreak City_ storyline. That's why the only part relating to it - the Drazi vanquish - is so short and summarised.


	33. Reckless Abandon (Plus Babyish Antics)

**Chapter Thirty Three: Reckless Abandon (Plus Babyish Antics)**

Over the whole weekend, Piper did not set foot back in the manor. Phoebe kept consoling Paige with the notion that Piper just needed 'more time to think things through'. When Prue caught up on the events of that evening, her first response had been to thank Paige for finally telling Piper. Prue knew that it had not been easy for Paige to do. Prue's next course of action had been to go next door to speak to Piper.

Paige sat in the kitchen with Phoebe while they waited for Prue to return with news. Paige was busy staring out of the window, thinking about how terribly things had gone. Phoebe was biding her time by individually picking pieces of cereal out of a cereal box and placing them in her cereal bowl.

Paige could hardly think about anything else other than Piper's reaction to the revelation. She had stormed out of the manor, and even though she had originally only been planning to spend the night with Dan, it looked like Piper was going to be staying there for a bit longer. Paige knew that Piper had never intended to move in with Dan just yet. Piper was not as far into the relationship as Dan seemed to be. However Paige could not help but think that Dan's house was Piper's only place of refuge at the moment.

After a few minutes of silence and after realising how bored she was with her mundane time wasting task, Phoebe said, 'Why don't we call for Leo? He's as much a part of this as everyone else. He should have a say in things.'

Paige looked from the window to Phoebe. 'I don't think he wants to be here at the moment. He's worried about Piper's reaction.'

'So what? He was part of the secret! If you have to be here for the immediate reaction, he should be too!' said Phoebe. When Paige's only reply was to slump her head forward onto the kitchen table, Phoebe decided to take matters into her own hands. 'Leo!'

Paige looked up from the table as blue and white orbs coalesced next to Phoebe forming into Leo.

'Hi. Is everything okay?' Leo asked.

'You don't know what happened last night?' Phoebe asked Leo.

Leo furrowed his brow. 'You vanquished Drazi and then Piper kicked me out, despite Derek being present…' Leo trailed off as he noticed that Paige looked upset. 'Paige, I told you Derek would only lead to trouble.'

Paige did not reply to Leo's assumption of why Paige was unhappy. Instead she slumped her head back onto the kitchen table.

'Leo, this has nothing to do with Derek,' said Phoebe. 'It has everything to do with Piper.'

'Piper? What about her? Is she okay?' asked Leo with a tone of worry. 'What did Dan do?'

'Nothing! Stop accusing boyfriends for a minute and start listening to me!' said Phoebe. 'Paige told Piper the truth.'

'The… The truth?' said Leo.

Paige picked her head up from the table again, this time sitting up properly in her chair. She looked over at Leo who now had an expression of unease on his face.

'I told Piper that you are my adoptive dad,' Paige said. 'She hates me now.'

Phoebe responded with: 'Paige, she doesn't hate you! Just giv–'

'Give her time. I know. I know. You keep saying that,' mumbled Paige.

Leo was just about managing to stay on his feet with this revelation that Piper knew. He put on a strong face as he looked over at Paige.

'Paige, Piper will forgive you for not saying anything sooner,' said Leo. Although his tough expression did not falter, his tone gave away that he was worrying. 'Prue and Phoebe forgave you and they found out before you had the chance to tell them for yourself.'

'Listen to Leo, Paige,' said Phoebe. 'Piper is just taking some time to process all of this, because she has always been the most sensitive out of us.'

Paige sighed. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo looked towards the kitchen door as they heard the front door unlock and open. Leo turned back to Phoebe and Paige.

'I don't want to interrupt anything,' said Leo. 'If you ever need me for a heal during or after a demon vanquish, I'll be here straight away.' Leo orbed out.

Phoebe looked at Paige and said, 'Did he just sever all personal connections with this family in that one sentence? He's going to be here for white lighter business from now on and that's it?'

'If that's what it was, then I feel a little like I've been disowned,' said Paige light heartedly, although she was not really in the joking mood right now.

The kitchen door swung open as Prue entered. Phoebe and Paige looked over at Prue silently, waiting for Prue to speak.

The three words that Prue provided her sisters with, as a result of her recent conversation with Piper, were: 'Give her time.'

* * *

It was Monday morning and Paige was wearily getting ready for work. She walked into the kitchen where Phoebe was eating a bowl of cereal. Straight away Paige noticed the dishes piling up in the sink.

'Was Piper really the only one in this house who ever bothered to wash up?' Paige asked, wandering over to a cupboard, hoping that there was a spare clean bowl in there. She found one and sat down at the kitchen table with the bowl, taking the cereal box that Phoebe had left out.

Phoebe shrugged. 'I think Prue used to wash the dishes whenever Piper couldn't.'

'Considering Prue no longer lives here, do you think you could wash the dishes?' Paige asked.

'Since when did you become so serious?' Phoebe asked.

'I have always been serious,' said Paige.

'Not about housework,' Phoebe pointed out.

'Piper currently hates me,' said Paige. 'If she decides to come back to the manor, I don't exactly want her finding it messy.'

'Piper doesn't hate you,' said Phoebe seriously. Then she added, 'I'll clear up after breakfast.'

'Thanks,' said Paige. 'I owe you one.'

'You definitely do, and you know what, I would like to redeem that I.O.U right now,' said Phoebe.

Paige looked puzzled. 'What do I have to do?'

'As soon as I have finished clearing up, I want to head over to your work,' said Phoebe. 'I want to see my little sister at work, and maybe talk my way into a secretarial position there.'

Paige rolled her eyes. 'Fine.'

* * *

A few hours later, Paige was sat at her desk, filling out some paperwork. Two social workers had left half an hour earlier to go to the police station where a baby had been abandoned. Paige had been left with the task of making a start on the paperwork that would be completed when the social workers came back to the office with the baby.

Paige's eyes were cast down on her desk as she continued writing. She saw a hand pick up the sign on her desk that said _P. Matthews – Trainee Social Worker_.

'Matthews? You're still going by Matthews? Not Halliwell, or Wilder, or Wyatt?' Phoebe said quite loudly.

Paige looked up to see Phoebe standing at her desk holding the name sign. Phoebe put the name sign back down on the desk and smiled at Paige.

'Did you finish the housework?' asked Paige.

'No hello? Straight to the issue of housework?' said Phoebe. 'Wow, you really are trying to get back into Piper's good books, aren't you?'

Paige shrugged. 'Why wouldn't I be trying?'

Phoebe sat down on a chair and looked around the noisy social services office before turning back to Paige.

'This place is definitely a lot bigger than where we used to work,' Phoebe said, trying to turn the subject away from Piper.

Paige nodded. 'There's definitely a lot more going on here too. I still don't quite understand how I still have a job here after being absent for a whole week.'

Phoebe shrugged. She was about to say something when the two social workers that had left Paige with the baby paperwork approached the desk – the first social worker was a man called Raymond and the second was a woman called Nancy.

Raymond took a side glance at Phoebe before turning his sights on Paige. 'Matthews, did you complete that paperwork on the baby yet?' asked Raymond.

'Not quite,' said Paige. 'Do you think you could wait a few more minutes?'

Nancy, who was holding the baby in a baby carrier, rolled her eyes. 'You have had half an hour. Do you think you could get it sorted before the baby grows old?' she said spitefully.

'I am almost finished,' said Paige, glaring at Nancy.

Phoebe had stood up and was smiling at the baby in the baby carrier. A toy rattle fell out of the baby carrier. Phoebe picked it up.

'He's adorable,' said Phoebe. She handed the baby boy his rattle back. As she did this, the baby boy grabbed her finger.

Paige noticed Phoebe's expression change, suggesting that she was midway through a premonition.

'Matthews, we don't have all day!' said a disgruntled Raymond, who was annoyed that Paige was looking at them instead of finishing the paperwork.

Phoebe suddenly took a deep breath and sat down on the seat she had previously been sitting on. Nancy and Raymond ignored Phoebe's strange behaviour.

'Hurry up and get that paperwork done, Matthews,' said Raymond. 'You'll find us in the meeting room.'

Nancy and Raymond walked away with the baby into an adjoining room.

Paige turned to Phoebe and asked, 'What's wrong?'

'That baby was abandoned, right?' said Phoebe, staring at the closed door that led through to the meeting room.

Paige nodded. 'Yeah. Apparently his name is Matthew, but they don't know anything more than that.'

'Well, I do. His family abandoned him to save his life,' said Phoebe.

Lowering her tone to a whisper, Paige asked, 'From a demon?'

Phoebe shook her head. 'I think… I think it was a ghost.'

'Does that make Matthew our innocent?' asked Paige.

'I think so,' said Phoebe. 'He needs to go back to his family after we vanquish the ghost.'

'What are you suggesting? We somehow stop him from being put onto the system while we figure out a way to vanquish the ghost?' asked Paige rhetorically.

Phoebe nodded. 'What's the plan, sis?'

Paige shook her head. 'What plan? That was rhetorical! We cannot just take the baby away from Social Services!'

'We can't have him separated from his family!' said Phoebe.

'You're nuts. What do you expect me to do to stop them from putting him on the system?' asked Paige. 'I am not losing my job over this.'

Phoebe raised her eyebrows. 'Since when was your job more important than saving innocents?'

Paige sighed as she gave in. 'Fine, but we do this my way.'

Paige stood up from her desk and walked through the office, looking for Lila. Phoebe followed her. Paige eventually found Lila in the reprographics room.

'Hey Lila,' said Paige. 'Do you know if the baby Matthew case has officially been assigned to Nancy and Raymond yet?'

Lila shook her head. 'I don't think it has. The only reason they were asked to bring baby Matthew here was because they always work close with the police department.'

Paige nodded. 'Do you think there'll be any chance that Mr. Cowan would let me take that case?'

Lila smiled. 'You're quite brave to want to take on a case like that this early on.'

Paige shrugged nonchalantly. 'My parents gave me up when I was only a baby. I guess you could say I feel connected with this case.'

'I will go and ask Mr. Cowan for you, but I will still be the main supervisor in the case, if he does allow you to work on it,' said Lila.

'I know,' said Paige. Then she added with a smile, 'Thanks.'

'No problem,' said Lila, heading out of the reprographics room.

Paige turned to Phoebe and said, 'Now we wait.'

Phoebe was already getting her phone out of her pocket while they remained in the quiet reprographics room. Phoebe shut the reprographics room door so as no one would overhear their discussion.

'What are you doing?' Paige asked. She was mostly surprised that Phoebe was able to get a signal within the building – something Paige had not managed a month earlier – and then Paige also realised that she still needed to get herself a new phone, considering she had melted hers on the day after that aforementioned signal-less day.

'Getting the cavalry to start looking through the BOS,' answered Phoebe, with her phone to her ear as she waited for the person on the other end to answer.

Paige nodded. Piper would have to speak to Paige since innocents were involved. That was if Piper decided to join in on the ghostly situation.

'Hey. It's Phoebe. Drop whatever you're doing and head to the attic,' Phoebe was saying into her phone. 'Not a demon, per se. More like a ghost and an abandoned baby.' Phoebe nodded while she listened to the response. 'Well, getting those photos done is not more important!' After another pause while listening to the next response, Phoebe sighed. 'Yes… We do have the Power of Three without you… I know… But… You better get here later!' Phoebe hung up her phone a little agitatedly.

'Photos? My guess is that that was Prue?' said Paige quizzically.

Phoebe nodded. 'Apparently she is rushing to meet a deadline, but she will come straight to San Francisco after.'

'That doesn't sound like Prue… Passing up on Charmed business…' said Paige, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. 'She knew that there was a possibility that Piper might say no to this, right? However, Prue knows that Piper cannot pass up the offer if she is the only one left to make up the Power of Three, right? In that way, Piper will be forced to speak to me, right? That's Prue's plan, right? Tell me I am right, right?'

'That's far too many _right_s for one sentence, Paige,' said Phoebe.

'Tell me. That's the only reason Prue is putting her work deadline first, isn't it?' said Paige.

Phoebe shrugged and looked away from Paige. 'Maybe…' Looking back at Paige, Phoebe added, 'Am I not able to fake annoyance without you figuring out that it's all part of a plan anymore?'

Paige smiled. Her smile faded when she remembered that Phoebe still needed to phone Piper.

'Er, Pheebs, can you put it on speaker phone? I won't speak or anything, I just want to hear what Piper says…' said Paige.

Phoebe nodded as she dialled her phone again; this time she was calling Piper. Phoebe pressed an extra button so as the phone went into speaker mode. The noise of the phone ringing was audible to both Phoebe and Paige now.

The ringing ended and Piper's voice answered: 'Hello?'

'Hey Piper,' said Phoebe. 'Phoebe here. No one else. Just me.'

_I thought you were supposed to be a good liar_, Paige thought. Then again, Paige assumed that nerves might be getting to Phoebe, considering the Piper-Paige issue was not something easy to look at.

'Hi Pheebs. If you want to talk, I'll come over to the manor. Dan's at work, so I am at a loose end of what to do at the moment,' said Piper. 'Also I am pretty sure _she's_ at work, so I am more than happy to come over, as long as I get out before _she_ returns.'

Paige grimaced at hearing how Piper was referring to her. Phoebe glanced over at Paige apologetically before replying to Piper.

'I am not at the manor at the moment, but I do need you to go there,' said Phoebe. 'Can you look in the Book under ghost vanquishes?'

There was a slight hesitation before Piper replied. 'Does this require the Power of Three?'

'We don't know yet, but it is good to have the Power of Three on hand, whether it does or does not require it,' said Phoebe. 'So far there's Paige and me.'

'Then do you think you could ask Prue instead of me?' said Piper, a little edgily. 'I… er… I have just remembered that I have… er… there was some inventory I forgot to do at _P3_…'

'No can do, sis,' said Phoebe. 'Prue's unable to get to San Francisco. We need you.'

There was a little more hesitation on Piper's end of the line. After a few more seconds, Piper answered, 'Okay, but… I am only doing this for the innocent.'

'That's fine by me,' said Phoebe. 'Phone me back as soon as you have got some info.'

'Okay. Speak to you later,' said Piper.

'Bye,' said Phoebe as the phone call finished.

Phoebe looked at Paige. Paige was currently looking a little downcast after hearing how Piper had reacted to having to work with her. Although Paige had been expecting that response, hearing it was still quite painful.

'Just give her time, Paige,' said Phoebe.

'Forcing her to speak to me isn't exactly giving her time, is it?' said Paige.

Before Phoebe could make a reply, the reprographics door opened and Lila walked in.

'Paige, I thought you would be back at your desk by now,' said Lila. 'I just spoke to Mr. Cowan and he has agreed to assign me the baby Matthew case, which in turn means that you are working on it with me.'

Paige smiled. 'Thanks, Lila.'

'No problem, Paige,' said Lila. 'Could you go to the meeting room and ask Nancy and Raymond to leave Matthew with you while I get the correct documents ready? We need to consider putting him up for adoption, as well as getting him put on the system.'

Paige nodded. 'Sure, but… Do we have to consider adoption this soon? His family might be looking for him.'

'We still have to get him onto the system, Paige. He was abandoned, so maybe his family don't want him,' said Lila.

'Or they may have lost him,' said Paige resolutely.

Lila sighed. 'Paige, you know that we have to consider _all_ possibilities, which includes the fact that his family may have abandoned him. You need to be open minded for this.'

'I know. I am sorry. I just don't want the possibility that his family may want him back to be overlooked in all of this,' said Paige.

'It won't, Paige. As I said, we cover _all_ the possibilities here,' said Lila. 'I just need to get all the correct documents ready. I'll meet you in the meeting room.'

Paige nodded as Lila left the reprographics room. Phoebe and Paige also made their way out of the reprographics room and soon found themselves entering the meeting room.

* * *

The meeting room was a huge rectangle room with a huge rectangle table in the middle. The huge rectangle table was surrounded by ten or twelve chairs. Nancy and Raymond were sitting on two of the chairs, while baby Matthew lay asleep in his baby carrier, which was placed on the table.

After a few words from Paige, Nancy and Raymond left the room, leaving Phoebe and Paige alone with baby Matthew.

'I'll be back in a couple of hours,' Phoebe suddenly said to Paige.

'Where are you going?' asked Paige.

'To see Darryl. I know what the possible father of baby Matthew looks like thanks to my premonition,' explained Phoebe. 'I want to go to the police station to see if Darryl can let me use the police system to I.D. him.'

Paige nodded. 'Fine. Just be back soon, please. I don't know quite how long I can keep postponing all this legal stuff.'

After a promise from Phoebe to be as quick as possible, she left Paige and baby Matthew in the meeting room. Paige sat down on a chair, placing her bag on the table, and waited for Lila to make an appearance. Paige thought over how she was going to postpone all the paperwork.

Suddenly a phone went off in Paige's purse. Paige's eyes widened in alarm. Not only had the sound of the phone ringing woken Matthew up causing him to cry, but that was not Paige's ringtone, it was Phoebe's. Phoebe had purposefully left her phone in Paige's bag, the phone that Piper had been told to ring back on when she had more information. Phoebe was purposefully forcing Piper to communicate with Paige.

_So much for giving her time_, Paige thought as she found the phone and reluctantly answered it over the sounds of a crying Matthew.

'Hello…' said Paige.

'Hi. Phoebe? Is that you? I can't quite hear you over the sound of a screaming baby in the background!' Piper said.

Holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder, Paige picked up Matthew with both hands and began to gently rock him back and forth. She was not too sure if this would help quieten him down, but she had seen it work on television shows many times.

'Phoebe? Are you still there?' asked Piper.

'I'm here,' said Paige. She assumed that Piper could not tell that Paige's voice was not Phoebe's as the noise of Matthew crying was drowning Paige's voice out a little.

'Go somewhere quieter. I need to tell you what I found,' said Piper.

'I can't,' said Paige, still rocking Matthew back and forth gently.

'Phoebe!' said Piper.

Baby Matthew finally stopped crying, but in his curiosity, he grabbed the phone from between Paige's ear and shoulder. Baby Matthew began to press some buttons on the phone. Paige put Matthew back down in the baby carrier and tried to take the phone from him.

'Hello? Phoebe?' Piper's voice was audible from the phone still.

'Matthew,' said Paige as nicely as possible. 'Please give me that phone back.'

Matthew was holding the phone tightly in his grip.

'_Please_, Matthew, I need it,' said Paige.

'Phoebe, did I just hear Paige in the background?' Piper's voice said.

Paige suddenly went very still and pale. Piper had actually officially acknowledged Paige's existence by saying her name. Paige gulped.

Assuming that Matthew had accidentally put Phoebe's phone onto speaker mode, Paige decided to say, 'Piper… You did hear me in the background… Phoebe isn't here… She left her phone behind when she went to see Darryl… And a baby currently has stolen that phone from me…'

Paige was surprised that Piper had listened as far as that before the line went dead, confirming that Piper had hung up. Paige sat down on the chair in defeat, which is when baby Matthew finally decided to give up the phone.

Lila walked into the meeting room with a pile of different documents in her arms. Paige tried to attempt a smile. She did not want to look like she was not up to the task.

'Paige, I have just been told the deadline for the Meyers case has been pushed forward, so could I leave you to complete all the baby Matthew paperwork while I finish the Meyers case paperwork?' asked Lila, placing the pile of documents in front of Paige on the table.

Paige nodded. At least something was going her way. Currently being in control of the baby Matthew case, she could make sure to delay the procedure of adding him to the system. Lila left the meeting room, shutting the door behind her.

Phoebe's phone began to ring again. This time the noise did not cause Matthew to cry. Paige picked up the phone and looked at the screen to see who was calling: Darryl. Paige put the phone to her ear and answered it.

'Hey Darryl. This is Paige on Phoebe's phone. Isn't Phoebe at the station with you?' Paige said into the phone.

'Actually, it's Phoebe using Darryl's phone,' said Phoebe.

'Well, whose fault is that?' asked a peeved Paige. 'Do you know how awkward the conversation I had with Piper was? What happened to giving her time? Huh?'

'Paige, just shush for a second! I have news!' replied Phoebe. 'I found the name of the father: Gilbert Van Lewen! Darryl and I are heading down to their estate! I am going to phone Prue to join us there. Do you think you could get there too?'

'What about Piper?' asked Paige.

'She phoned the station a couple of minutes ago – I guess you told her I was here – with the ghost vanquish information and she said she would not be going to the estate,' explained Phoebe.

'Oh okay…' said Paige. 'I'll see if I can leave baby Matthew in someone else's care and then I'll orb on straight down to the estate.'

'Okay. See you then,' said Phoebe.

Paige put the phone into her bag and stood up. Leaving the pile of documents behind, Paige picked up the baby carrier and left the meeting room. She made her way into the busy main office of South Bay Social Services and stopped at Nancy's desk.

'Hey Nancy. I have gotten a lead on baby Matthew's case, so I need to leave him with you,' began Paige. Before Nancy could argue, Paige placed the baby carrier on the desk and said, 'Thanks. Bye.'

Paige ran into the empty reprographics room. She shut the door behind her and orbed out. When Paige reappeared outside the Van Lewen estate, she was surprised to see not Prue, Phoebe, and Darryl standing there, but Prue, Piper, and Darryl.

'Er… Where's Phoebe?' Paige asked.

'She's still at the station,' said Prue.

Paige narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'She was using Darryl's phone though _and_ she said she was coming here!'

Darryl frowned. 'That's where my phone went!' Then turning towards the gates, he said, 'I think we are allowed in now.'

Paige suddenly noticed that there were paramedics on the estate. Darryl began to walk onto the estate. Prue, Piper, and Paige did not move.

'I should go,' mumbled Piper, looking down at the ground. 'You two can deal with this without me.'

Prue shook her head. 'No. You two have things to deal with without me.' At those words, Prue disappeared in a flash of red.

Piper looked up to where Prue had been standing. Piper was shocked to see Prue no longer there. Paige was just as perplexed.

'Did you know that was astral Prue?' Paige asked.

Piper slowly shook her head. Finally addressing Paige, Piper said, 'I think our sisters have plotted against us…'

Paige sighed. 'I think you're right…'

* * *

**A/N:** I obviously have no idea how social services works, hence all the 'get the correct documents' rambling in this chapter. Anyway, please review!


	34. Reckless Abandon (And Timing)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Here's another chapter that involves social services stuff that may be completely wrong. Quick warning - if you remember the canon episode, there is grave digging involved, and I really did not want to describe that, so I keep any descriptions to the absolute minimal that I can.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Four: Reckless Abandon (And Timing)**

Piper and Paige were standing outside the Van Lewen estate. They had been ditched by Prue and Phoebe in a manipulative plot to get Piper to speak to Paige. Piper and Paige looked past the gates onto the Van Lewen estate as the paramedics left.

Despite how little Piper felt like speaking to Paige at the moment, Piper had to stay, because out of the two of them, she was the only one that knew the background on the Van Lewens (astral Prue and Darryl had caught her up on it all) and the ghost vanquishing part. Meanwhile, despite the awkwardness, Paige knew she had to stay too.

'So…' Paige said quietly as the two of them began to walk onto the estate. 'Do you know why there were paramedics here?'

Not looking at Paige, Piper answered, 'Apparently Gilbert Van Lewen fell over the banister.'

'No wonder they wanted to get Matthew out of there. Are we assuming our ghost is behind this?' said Paige.

Piper nodded. The two sisters continued to walk towards the door of the mansion in silence. An officer at the door stopped them, but Darryl immediately saw them and told the officer to let them pass. The officer made a quip about the two sisters being Darryl's psychics – which was a little typical considering Phoebe had purposefully chosen not to show up.

While Darryl went to speak to the lady of the house, Martha Van Lewen, the two sisters went upstairs to have a look around. They almost immediately found a nursery containing a crib, a mobile, and many other baby-associated items. Amongst these items was a pillow with the name _Matthew_ embroidered on it. This was all the proof they needed that this was Matthew's home and therefore his family.

'Who are you?' asked a woman walking into the nursery.

'Er, I'm Piper,' said Piper. 'We came here with the police.'

'I'm Paige,' said Paige. 'We are… er… social workers.' Paige held out her I.D. badge as proof. 'Are you a member of the family?'

'My name's Alexandra,' said the woman. 'We don't need a social worker. My mother-in-law has already told the cops that Matthew is away at his aunts.' Piper and Paige knew not to say anything in regards to their knowing this was not true just in case the vengeful ghost was within earshot.

'You're Gilbert Van Lewen's wife?' asked Piper.

'And that makes you Matthew's mother?' added Paige.

Alexandra nodded. 'I am, but… Look we don't need Social Services here… Matthew's not here and he's safe where he is. Just… Please can I just be left alone?'

Piper and Paige exchanged looks before leaving Alexandra alone in the nursery. Piper and Paige exited the mansion and continued walking. Leaving Darryl behind meant that they had no car for getting back to the manor and Piper refused to orb with Paige.

'I'm coming back to the manor with you, so it would be faster to orb than walk with me,' Paige said.

'Maybe I want to use the time that walking takes to talk though,' Piper suggested, finally making some actual eye contact with her baby sister.

The two sisters had continued walking as they left the estate and were now making their way along a street.

Paige smiled faintly. 'Really?'

Piper nodded. 'I guess it's time…'

'I personally wouldn't know where to start,' said Paige.

'Let's start with me telling you why I reacted the way I did…' Piper said quietly. 'You're my sister, Paige. My sister! I thought you had gotten past that phase of keeping secrets from this family, from _your_ family.'

Paige nodded, looking down at the footpath as they continued to walk. 'I never intended to… I never felt like the time was right…'

Piper stopped abruptly. Paige suddenly noticed she was walking by herself, so also stopped and looked around at Piper.

'If you never felt like the time was right, what made you decide to tell me the other day?' Piper asked. 'Especially after trying to hide Leo's presence at the dinner party.'

Paige sighed. 'I won't blame it on him, because both of our motives were a little jumbled over how to deal with that day.'

'Yet Prue and Phoebe happen to know about this too?' Piper added.

'Prue found out when you two were mind readers, but she neglected to tell me until just after Phoebe found out,' said Paige.

'When did Phoebe find out?' Piper asked.

'During the shootout on the day of the dinner party,' said Paige sheepishly.

Piper frowned as she thought back to that day. '_That's_ why she was hyperventilating?' When Paige nodded, Piper continued. 'Did you only decide to tell me, because Prue and Phoebe already knew?'

Paige furrowed her brow as she thought it over. She shrugged a little guiltily. 'If you want me to be perfectly honest, I knew that it would be best if I told you rather than you hearing it from Prue and Phoebe; and they agreed which is why they kept it from you. If it wasn't for the timing issue at darklighter central, I would have told you the very next morning.'

Piper did not reply to this. She nodded silently and beckoned for Paige to start walking again. The two of them continued along the path in silence for a few minutes.

Paige decided to break the silence. 'Have I apologised yet? If I haven't, then I am really really really really really really really really really really really really re–'

Piper managed a smile as she interrupted Paige with: 'Can't say I have missed your over exaggerations.'

Paige grinned before completing her previous sentence despite the interruption. 'Really really really really sorry.'

Piper let out a small laugh. 'I guess what matters is that you did decide to tell me…'

'You don't hate me?' said Paige.

Piper shook her head and looked almost shocked by the allegation. 'Hate you? I know I have been ignoring you for almost two days, but that never meant I hated you. It just meant that I needed time.'

Paige thought she might be pushing things a little to ask Piper about her current feelings towards Leo, so Paige just nodded, and the rest of the walk between the two sisters continued in silence.

* * *

When they arrived back at the manor, Piper and Paige found Prue and Phoebe in the kitchen. The Book of Shadows lay open on the table in front of Prue and a laptop sat on the table in front of Phoebe. Prue and Phoebe both looked up when they saw Piper and Paige enter.

Phoebe smiled. 'Told you it would work, Prue.'

Prue rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, but you couldn't have succeeded without me and my awesome astral projection power.'

'Hey!' said Paige, taking a seat next to Prue. 'How do you even know your manipulative little plan worked?'

Piper took a seat next to Paige as she waited for the response.

'For starters, Piper seems okay with being in the same room as you, Paige,' Phoebe began.

'Also, you seem happy enough to sit down next to Paige, Piper,' added Prue.

Piper shrugged. 'We took your manipulative scheming as a chance to talk things through.'

'Talking about scheming… What did you find out at the Van Lewen estate?' asked Phoebe.

Piper and Paige exchanged looks before turning to face Prue and Phoebe.

'Not much… Except that the family are telling everyone that Matthew is away at their aunts,' said Piper. 'It looks like their ghost is quite violent and they must have wanted to get Matthew away from it without letting the ghost know.'

'Oh, and we might want to do this soon,' said Paige. 'I kind of ditched work saying I had a lead on the baby Matthew case, but if I am not back soon, my colleague will probably start on the paperwork and we will never get a chance to send Matthew back to his family. Imagine all the legal proceedings they'd have to go through to get him back if the paperwork were to go through. They can't exactly say: 'we temporarily abandoned him to keep him safe from a ghost', can they?'

'A ghost vanquish with a deadline? I think we can make that deadline,' said Prue, smiling.

'Any leads on identifying the ghost?' Piper asked Phoebe. Paige suddenly realised that this was Phoebe's reason for having her laptop out.

'Nope. They're a rich family with a long history of people that could be holding grudges against them post humourlessly,' replied Phoebe. 'All I can figure out is that this all started around the time that Gilbert Van Lewen's father died.'

'That would be Martha Van Lewen's husband, then?' asked Paige.

Phoebe nodded, focusing on her laptop as she scrolled down a webpage. 'Yeah. Gilbert's brother also died soon after the dad's death, and so did his uncle… It looks like a lot of the male members of that family have died since the dad's death.'

Prue furrowed her brow. 'If only the men in that family are in danger from this ghost, then that makes sense why they would want to get Matthew away from it.'

'Got it! I think…' said Phoebe, smiling at her laptop screen.

Prue, Piper, and Paige all turned their attention towards Phoebe.

'What have you got there, Pheebs?' Piper asked.

'Not long before the death of Martha's husband, their chauffeur died: Elias Lundy,' explained Phoebe. Phoebe stood up from her laptop. 'We should go and pay the family another visit. See what they have to say about Elias.'

'You and Piper go ahead,' said Prue. 'Paige and I will start on making up the vanquishing potion. We'll meet you there.'

Piper and Phoebe agreed to this plan and left the manor. Meanwhile, Prue and Paige made a start on the vanquishing potion.

* * *

As the vanquishing potion neared completion, Prue said to Paige, 'Assuming that Piper and Phoebe are successful in proving that the ghost _is _Lundy, we're going to need some shovels.'

'Shovels?' said Paige. 'I may be familiar with magic, but not so much with the ghost stuff. Since when did ghost vanquishes require gardening tools?'

'According to the vanquishing potion, this stuff needs to be poured on his bones,' explained Prue. 'While Piper and Phoebe cause a distraction at the house, we get the glamorous job of grave digging.'

A phone call from Piper told them that she and Phoebe had taken Alexandra to _P3_ after an attack at the mansion from the ghost – who they could confirm was Elias Lundy – who was now keeping Martha hostage at the mansion, as he wanted them to bring baby Matthew. Prue told Piper to go back to the mansion with Phoebe and keep Lundy distracted while Prue and Paige did their part.

* * *

Twenty minutes after this discussion, Prue received a quick wordless one second phone call from Piper which was Piper's way of indicating that she and Phoebe had arrived back at the mansion. Taking this cue, with shovels and vanquishing potion in hand, Paige orbed herself and Prue to the Van Lewen estate.

'How do we know that Lundy was buried on the estate?' Paige asked Prue as they traipsed along the courtyard looking for a grave.

'Piper told me on the phone. Apparently Lundy was obsessed with Martha Van Lewen… He even carved their initials on a tree… The husband found out, lured Lundy outside, and shot him dead right by that tree… My bets are that when we find that tree, we'll find his burial site,' explained Prue.

'No wonder he's turned into a vengeful ghost,' said Paige.

Prue nodded. She came to a stop by a tree. Paige also stopped walking. It was dusk, so there was still enough light to see the initials carved on the tree. Paige stepped back from the ground she had just been standing on.

'Do you think we're standing right on top of his grave?' asked Paige, a slightly disgusted expression on her face.

Prue smiled. 'Come on, Paige. Don't tell me you are grossed out by something like this.'

Paige shrugged. 'I don't see why I wouldn't be.'

The two sisters started digging.

'Let's hope Piper and Phoebe are keeping him distracted,' said Prue.

'How do you think they're doing that?' asked Paige. 'Phoebe's acting as a moving target for his attacks and Piper's acting as shield by freezing each attack?'

'That sounds about right,' said Prue.

Prue's shovel suddenly sounded like it had hit something hard in the soil. Paige did not want to look down. Instead she assumed they had reached what they had been looking for.

'Can we just throw the potion in there now?' asked Paige.

Prue noticed that Paige was refusing to look down into the grave. Prue almost laughed.

'Screamish, are we?' Prue asked.

'So what if I am?' asked Paige.

'Asks the person that helps vanquish demons on a weekly basis,' said Prue.

Paige shrugged. 'That's different.'

Prue dropped the potion vial into the grave. Steam erupted from the grave. Prue and Paige took a step back. The sun had finally set. They looked over at the dark mansion, which had no lights on. There was a sudden burst of light from one of the upstairs windows.

'Do you think that's our ghost saying bye-bye?' Paige asked.

'Let's hope so,' said Prue. 'I think you should get straight back to work and let them know you have found Matthew's family.'

Paige agreed. She orbed out, leaving Prue to go and find Piper and Phoebe.

* * *

Paige walked out of the empty reprographics room into the main busy office of South Bay Social Services. Raymond spotted Paige across the office and came marching up to her.

'Matthews! What do you think you're playing at?' asked Raymond. 'You took up the baby Matthew case just to drop the baby on us and ditch work all day!'

'I told Nancy that I had a lead, and I followed it through,' said Paige, smiling.

'Oh yeah?' said Raymond a little snidely. 'What exactly was that?'

Paige smirked. 'I found his real family. It sounds like the baby was kidnapped earlier this morning, but I think the kidnappers abandoned him. The family want him back.'

Raymond looked a little taken aback. He had obviously been expecting some lame reason that had no helpful outcome. Paige knew that her reasoning had involved a lie, but it was the only cover up that would allow baby Matthew to be returned to his family.

Paige continued through the office to look for Lila. She found Lila at her desk.

'Hi. Did you meet the Meyers case deadline?' Paige asked Lila.

'I just sent that paperwork off five minutes ago,' said Lila, smiling. 'I have heard Nancy and Raymond ranting all day that you left them with the baby while you went off on some phony lead.'

'It wasn't phony, and thanks to that lead, we should be able to send Matthew back to his family this evening,' said Paige.

Lila raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Paige explained everything that she had already said to Raymond ten minutes earlier.

Within the hour, Alexandra and Martha came to pick up baby Matthew. When Paige handed baby Matthew over to them, they thanked Paige for everything she and her sisters had done for them.

* * *

When Paige returned to the manor that evening, she found only Piper present in the kitchen.

'Hey Paige,' said Piper, smiling. By way of explanation for the quietude at the manor, Piper said, 'Prue went home and Phoebe's on a date.'

Paige sat down at the kitchen table. 'And what about you? Why aren't you at Dan's?'

Piper shrugged. 'I never officially moved over there. I had just been spending a few nights there in a row. Besides the manor does not seem to cope without me. Did you know that I found dirty dishes – which must have been from this weekend – hidden in one of the cupboards? Are you guys really that terrible at household chores?'

Paige lay her head down on the table in defeat, knowing now never to trust a promise from Phoebe that involved household chores.

* * *

**A/N:** Slightly corny ending, sorry. Unfortunately, this is it for now. As soon as I get over the writer's block that is _Animal Pragmatism_, I will start uploading the _Awakened_ chapters - I don't know how long a wait that will be. Until then, there will hopefully still be updates for my other fan fictions.


	35. Awakened (And Closed Spaces)

**A/N:** A month and a half of not updating this has seemed longer than it actually was. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Five: Awakened (And Closed Spaces)**

It had been approximately six months since Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had found out that Leo was Paige's adoptive father. The New Year had been and gone and it was now early February in the year 2000.

Over that stretch of time Leo had kept to his word of being their whitelighter and nothing more. Piper appeared absolutely fine with this arrangement as she was busy focusing her attentions on her blossoming relationship with Dan and on the club. Meanwhile Paige found it strange having so little contact with Leo over such a long period of time, but with work keeping her busy and always having family present in the form of her sisters, she did not have too much time to spare on worrying. Then there were Prue and Phoebe, who from the beginning had only seen Leo as their handyman-whitelighter-family friend, and therefore, were least affected by Leo's sudden lack of presence.

Over those five and a bit months (rounded up to six), demonic activity had been relatively low. Prue had been able to focus on her photography career in Portland, visiting San Francisco for family meals regularly with Andy; Piper was focusing on _P3_ more and more; Phoebe was still jobless, but had been contemplating returning to college for the last few months, weighing up the positives and the negatives; and Paige was able to focus on not disappearing unexpectedly from work.

Paige had not heard from Derek at all in those months. She still had the copy of the spell that he had wanted her to recite in her room. She did not find it strange that he had been gone for so long. She had come to terms with the fact that this disappearing act was a habit of his. However she did not like how their last conversation had ended. The two of them admitted they had feelings for one another, only to be followed by an argument where Paige refused to say the spell that would give him his powers back.

At this particular moment in time, Paige found herself standing in a quarantined hospital room trying to contain her overwhelming terror. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were in the same situation, but did not seem anywhere as near fazed as her. Each sister was wearing hospital garments. All four of them were healthy and well, but here they stood imprisoned in a quarantined room within the isolation ward of San Francisco Memorial Hospital.

The youngest Charmed One thought over everything that had led the four of them to this situation: Piper catching Arroyo fever from a sand fly that was found in the illegal Kewano fruit; Piper refusing healing from Leo; Piper's condition deteriorating; on the sisters going behind Piper's back to call Leo, the whitelighter saying that he was not allowed to heal Piper; the three healthy Charmed Ones casting a personal gain spell to take the disease out of Piper; the spell successfully allowing Piper to magically recover; the sudden spread of the initially non-contagious disease around the hospital; and the decision of the infectious disease specialist, Dr. Williamson, and the Centre for Disease Control to bring Piper back in along with her sisters for quarantine.

The only positive that Paige could come up with as she stood surrounded by four walls in a locked room was that Phoebe had chosen this time to tell her sisters that she had finally enrolled at the local college and would be starting in a few days time.

In the quarantined room was one hospital bed, some switched-off electrical hospital equipment (a heart monitor, for example), and a screen (which would usually be pulled across by a doctor when trying to examine a patient in privacy).

Piper was pacing the quarantine room. 'How did a non-contagious disease suddenly become contagious?'

'It must be a consequence of the awakening spell,' said Prue.

'The spell must have awakened the disease as well as you,' Phoebe added.

'I really really don't like this,' said Paige, who was standing in the middle of the quarantined room. They had been locked in there for almost an hour now.

'None of us do, Paige,' said Prue. 'We just need to stay calm and figure out how to get out of this.'

'You don't understand,' said Paige, looking from wall to wall of the quarantined room. 'I don't like being in here.'

Phoebe looked over at Paige, a little puzzled. 'Paige? Are you okay?'

'I just want to get out,' said Paige, her breath quickening. 'The walls seem a little too close to each other. There's not enough air in here. It's too crowded.'

Piper approached Paige and asked with concern, 'Are you claustrophobic?'

'She can't be… Her bedroom is smaller than this…' Phoebe pointed out.

'Yeah, but I am never locked inside my bedroom,' Paige said, trying not to hyperventilate, but definitely starting to panic a little. 'I know I cannot get out of here, and… and… Please can someone distract the people outside so as I can orb out?! I want to leave! You know what? Can't we just try to convince the doctors that whatever gene that helped Piper recover so quickly is inherited from your dad's side of the family? That way I can leave and just get out of this locked room!'

Prue put her hands on Paige's shoulders, turning Paige to face her. 'Paige, listen to me. We need you to calm down. Breathe more calmly. Try to take your mind off where you are. We need you thinking logically. We are not going to be in here for much longer, I promise.'

Prue let go of Paige's shoulders. Paige sat down on the hospital bed, trying to think of anything else other than where she was. She didn't even process Phoebe saying to Prue, 'You don't think we're going to be here long?' or Prue replying with 'I really don't know how we are going to get out of this one.'

Paige closed her eyes and began to try and imagine that she was in an open space… Possibly a big open field with the sun shining down on her, except she was sitting in the shade beneath a tree… The sounds of hospital treatment in the background were replaced with the sound of tweeting birds and leaves rustling in the wind…

Someone was knocking on glass… on one of the hospital room's window. Paige opened her eyes, as the sounds and images of the quarantined hospital room returned around her. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were also staring at the source of knocking on the window.

Andy was standing there. No hospital staff were in the corridor outside the quarantined hospital room at the moment.

'Prue!' Andy shouted through the glass.

Prue ran over to the window and put her hand to the glass next to where Andy's head was.

'Andy!' said Prue.

'What? I can't hear you, Prue!' said Andy. Unfortunately the glass was one-way. The sisters could hear what was going on outside their room, but an intercom was needed for those outside to hear inside.

'There's a button for an intercom on your side!' Prue shouted back, but realised he would not hear that either.

Prue tried indicating this to Andy through pointing. Whether Andy understood the message or not, they did not get a chance to find out. An intern and two male nurses had come along the corridor and seen him.

'Excuse me, Sir!' one of the nurses said, getting Andy's attention. 'You shouldn't be in here! This whole ward is under isolation!'

'My wife and her sisters are in that quarantined room!' Andy said. 'They look perfectly healthy to me, so let them out!'

The intern frowned and said, 'Sorry, Sir, but we can't. One of them could be a carrier for a mutated form of a previously non-contagious disease.'

The second nurse then added, 'Due to procedures, now that you have entered this isolated ward, we cannot let you leave. We can let you sit in the waiting room for now though.'

'If I can't leave, can I at least join them in there?' asked a disgruntled Andy.

'Sorry, Sir,' said the intern.

'Why not?' asked Andy.

'It's against the rules,' replied the intern.

'Let him talk to us!' Prue shouted, hitting the window to try and get the hospital staffs' attention so as they would turn the intercom on.

The first nurse noticed, pressed the button, and said, 'Miss Halliwell, Dr. Williamson will be back later. He is just caring to other patients who have caught the disease at the moment.'

'Can you at least let me speak to my husband?' Prue asked.

'I am sorry, Mi – Mrs. Halliwell,' the first nurse said, correcting himself halfway through. 'I have strict instructions.' The nurse turned off the intercom and turned back to Andy. 'I am sorry, Sir, but no one other than staff are allowed along this corridor. My colleague here will direct you to the isolation ward's waiting room.'

The second nurse began to guide Andy down the corridor until he was completely out of sight. Prue turned away from the window to face her three sisters who were all staring at her.

'Are you okay, Prue?' Piper asked quietly.

'I don't know… I just don't know…' said Prue. 'If this is all a consequence of the spell we cast, it's still better than what the outcome would have been if we had not cast it…'

Phoebe and Paige agreed. Piper, however, remained silent.

After a few more minutes of silence, Prue – who had not moved from her position by the window – suddenly said, 'Screw it. I am going to go and speak to Andy.'

'How do you propose to leave the room without them noticing?' asked Piper.

'I'll orb us to the waiting room!' suggested Paige, thrilled by the idea of leaving the locked room for a few minutes.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows. 'How do you think Piper and I are supposed to explain your disappearing acts to the hospital staff when they notice?'

'Er…' was Paige's only reply. Personally she did not really care. She just wanted some fresh air.

'There won't be any disappearing acts, because I can do this alone,' said Prue. 'Or at least, A.P. will do this for me.'

'A.P.?' said Piper, puzzled.

'I find it very very strange when you refer to A.P. as a separate person,' said Phoebe, smiling. 'Are you sure you're not slightly schizophrenic?'

Prue smiled. 'Did you choose psychology as an elective? If you didn't, you sound like you should have.'

'Hello? What's A.P.?' asked Piper, annoyed at being left out of the loop.

'Not what, Piper, but who,' Phoebe answered, a little unhelpfully.

Prue rolled her eyes. 'Now who's the one giving A.P. a separate identity, Pheebs?'

Phoebe held her hands up innocently. 'I was just defending A.P. from being objectified, but if you don't want me on A.P.'s side, then that's your loss…'

Piper was getting annoyed now. 'Will _someone_ just tell me _who_ A.P. is?'

'Astral Prue, Piper,' said Paige, becoming a little frustrated with the fact that she could not leave the room that seemed to be getting smaller and lacking more oxygen every second she spent in there. 'Do you really have to astral out?'

'It's less noticeable than orbing,' Prue pointed out.

'If you are going to astral out, at least lay down on the hospital bed in here so we don't have to explain why you are standing up with your head slumped forward,' said Piper.

Prue nodded and did as Piper had suggested. Prue closed her eyes. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged glances, wondering whether Prue had astralled out yet or not.

'Prue?' Piper said. When there was no reply from the eldest Halliwell, the three youngest sisters made the decision that astral Prue was elsewhere in the ward looking for Andy.

The next twenty minutes or so were spent with Piper and Phoebe discussing possible ways of them getting out of this situation. However towards the end of those twenty minutes, their conversation turned towards the topic of how long until Prue would come back. Meanwhile Paige spent these twenty minutes pacing from wall to wall, trying to tell herself that the room was bigger than it seemed to her at the moment.

The corridor outside the quarantined room had been relatively empty over the past five minutes or so. However Dr. Williamson suddenly came running through the corridor and straight into the quarantined room.

He was halfway in through the door when he asked the question he had rushed there to ask. 'How did Prue get out..?' Dr. Williamson trailed off as his eyes darted over to the bed where Prue was blatantly lying in her unconscious state.

Piper flicked her wrists, freezing Dr. Williamson. Phoebe quickly pulled the bed sheet over Prue to cover her up from view. Meanwhile Paige went over to the door and stepped out into the corridor.

'Paige! Get back in here!' Phoebe hissed.

Paige had heard this from the corridor, but she did not care. She was taking in long breaths, happy to be out of the contained room.

'Paige!' This time Paige felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Phoebe behind her. 'Paige, we have to go back in there!'

Paige frowned. 'Why? We can leave… We can go…'

Phoebe sighed. 'Don't you think if we were going to run from this using magic, we would have asked you to orb us out by now?'

Paige grimaced. 'So we have to go back in there?'

'Yes, Paige. The only reason Piper froze Dr. Williamson was because by the sounds of it they've seen astral Prue wandering around out in the ward. We don't want to expose magic by letting him see that Prue's still in here despite what he's seen,' explained Phoebe.

'I – I – but I really don't want to go back in there…' said Paige. 'I quite like it out here in the corridor.'

Phoebe shook her head apologetically. 'I am sorry, Paige, but you have to come back in here. I know you don't like it, but for now there's nothing we can do, okay?'

With a disappointed expression, Paige followed Phoebe, past the frozen Dr. Williamson, back into the quarantined room. Piper was already standing back in the position that she had originally been standing in. Phoebe and Paige returned to the positions that they assumed they had been in when Piper had frozen the room.

Piper flicked her wrists which unfroze Dr. Williamson. He frowned and blinked a few times.

'I swear I just saw Prue on that bed…' said Dr. Williamson. He looked around to see Piper, Phoebe, and Paige standing at various positions in the room. 'Who's under the hospital bed covers?'

'Just some pillows,' lied Phoebe. 'We had to make it look like Prue was still in here, but asleep to avoid arousing any suspicion that she had gotten out.'

Dr. Williamson furrowed his brow. '_How_ did she get out?'

'She wanted to see her husband and your staff would not let her,' Phoebe continued. 'One of your staff came in here to check on Piper. Prue managed to sneak past while the door was open.'

Dr. Williamson seemed to believe Phoebe's story. He nodded.

'So… If you found her out there, what stopped you from bringing her back here?' Piper asked out of curiosity.

Dr. Williamson ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. 'Your sister… She's very stubborn.'

Phoebe smiled. 'It's a family trait.'

'She refuses to leave Mr. Trudeau's side,' continued Dr. Williamson.

'Detective,' Paige corrected the doctor.

'The point is that we have decided she can stay with her husband for now as long as she does not leave the ward,' said Dr. Williamson. 'I will be back here to speak to you three later.'

Dr. Williamson walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

Phoebe turned to Piper and Paige, and said, 'Did you notice how the doctor said that Prue's refusing to leave Andy's side?'

'Yeah…' said Paige. 'What's so weird about that? We know that Prue wants to speak to Andy.'

'Yes, but that's not what he said,' Phoebe continued. 'He said that Prue wanted to stay with Andy, not speak to him. Dr. Williamson also said that it was fine as long as she did not leave the ward… I remember them telling Andy that he could not leave the ward now that he had entered it…'

Piper grimaced. 'So what's changed?'

Phoebe wandered over to the hospital bed where Prue lay unconscious and concealed by the covers. 'I wish Prue could tell us what's going on over there.' Phoebe removed the sheet from the hospital bed, revealing the unconscious Prue. 'Come on, Prue. What don't we know?' As Phoebe moved the sheet again, her hand brushed against Prue's arm. Phoebe let out a gasp as she was pulled into a premonition.

When Phoebe came out of her premonition, she had gone pale.

'Pheebs, is everything okay?' Paige asked.

'What did you see?' Piper asked.

Phoebe blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the reality of what she had just witnessed. 'Andy… He's… He caught it…'

'Caught what?' Paige asked, not wanting to believe the only thing that Phoebe could be referring to.

'Andy is unconscious and he's caught Arroyo fever,' Phoebe began. 'Prue's by his bedside at the moment.'

Piper lost her footing at this news, falling onto the floor, remaining on it in a sitting position. She had not fallen due to any illness, but due to her surprise and self-blame. 'All of this is my fault…' Piper looked up at Phoebe and Paige. 'We have to reverse this spell – before it's too late.'

* * *

**A/N:** Please review.


	36. Awakened (And Role Reversal)

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews. Cliffhangers are good, because if you don't know what's going to happen it means that this is definitely not too close to the original episode. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Six: Awakened (And Role Reversal)**

Phoebe and Paige stood astonished in the quarantined room. Neither sister was sure that they had heard Piper correctly.

Piper repeated herself, from her position of sitting on the floor, saying: 'We have to reverse this spell.'

Phoebe shook her head slowly. 'We can't… You'll… You could… You might…'

'I know the consequences,' said Piper seriously. 'I know I might not make it, but… You could always call for Paige's adoptive dad… He can heal me…'

Paige raised an eyebrow. 'Please just call him Leo. It's weird hearing you call him: my adoptive dad.'

Piper shrugged half-heartedly. 'I don't see why it should be. That's what he is to you.'

Paige quickly came back with a retort. 'Maybe, but that's not what he is to yo–'

'Can we get back to the issue of reversing the spell?' Phoebe interjected.

'Sure. You two are reversing that spell,' said Piper. 'Call that whitelighter of ours and ask him to heal me… before it's too late for me.' When she noticed her two younger sisters' sudden expressions of guilt, Piper added, 'What?'

'There may be a slight issue about _Leo_,' said Phoebe.

'What do you mean? How would you know?' asked Piper.

'We may have already called Leo earlier…' Paige began.

'_What_?' Piper shouted. 'I told you not to call our whitelighter earlier!'

'Okay, that has got to stop!' Phoebe said stubbornly, all guilt disappearing from her expression.

'Hey! I am supposed to be mad at you. Don't turn this around on me,' said Piper. 'Why can't our whitelighter help?'

'Apparently _Leo_ is not allowed to,' replied Phoebe. 'That's not the point! The point is that he has a name and you cannot call him _our whitelighter_ or _Paige's adoptive dad_ forever!'

Piper sighed and finally stood up from the floor. She took a deep breath before making her decision.

Putting emphasis on the name to make a point, Piper said, 'Even though _Leo_ is not allowed to help, and even though you went behind my back by speaking to him about it, this spell still needs reversing…'

'Aren't you scared? We don't want to lose you…' said Paige.

Piper gulped. 'Of course I am scared, but Andy and other innocents out there have been infected by the disease because of this spell…'

'You shouldn't have to make this choice,' said Phoebe.

'I have to and I have,' said Piper resolutely. 'Paige, orb to the attic and get the spell.'

On one hand, Paige was happy to finally have an excuse to orb out of the locked room. On the other hand, the task she had been given was, in her eyes, a terrible one – Paige was going to retrieve the spell that would send Piper back into a comatose state from which she may never wake up.

Paige frowned. 'Piper… I can't… I can't do that… I won't do that…'

Piper smiled weakly. 'Paige, with astral Pr –' Piper paused to correct herself. 'With A.P. off elsewhere, you're the only one who can get to the attic. If anyone asks, we'll say you're the one under the sheets…' At those words, Phoebe quickly covered the unconscious Prue with the bed sheets again. Piper continued, 'Paige, you know as much as I do that we have no control over this. If I recover, I will recover… If I don't… then I don't…'

'Andy was supposed to die last year, but he's still alive,' Paige pointed out. 'We won't let anything happen to you.'

Piper took a deep breath. She made no reply to Paige's point. Piper only said the word 'Go' quite obstinately.

Paige glanced over at Phoebe. The second youngest Charmed One looked torn between supporting Piper or supporting Paige. Phoebe nodded sensitively, indicating for Paige to respect Piper's wishes.

Taking one last look at the quarantined room that had caused Paige nothing but torment, the part witch part whitelighter orbed out.

As she orbed into the dimly lit attic, Paige approached the Book of Shadows. It was still open to the page of the awakening spell. She, Prue, and Phoebe had not closed it after finding it as they had rushed straight back to the hospital to use it on Piper.

The reversal spell was on the page next to the original spell. Paige skimmed over the spell. Realising that she would not be able to memorise the whole thing, Paige found a notepad and a pen, copying the spell down. At the bottom of the entry on the page, there was a disclaimer. Paige hoped that the disclaimer was more of a suggestion than essential to reversing it all.

With the spell copied down onto the piece of paper that was now freshly torn from the notepad, Paige was ready to return to the hospital. However, many factors were stopping her, the major factor being what this spell reversal would do to Piper. Something else was on her mind too, and she decided to act upon it.

'Dad!' Paige called.

Leo orbed into the attic almost instantaneously after the call. He had a grave expression on his face.

'I guess I don't need to catch you up on anything…' Paige said solemnly.

Leo let out a profound sigh. 'I already know. I have been keeping a close eye on the situation since turning down the request to heal Piper the first time around. I know that your spell backfired and the only thing you can do is reverse it.'

'Will you heal her when we reverse it?' Paige asked.

Leo shook his head glumly. 'Like I told you and your sisters earlier, the Elders won't let me, because this occurred naturally. No demon caused it.'

'How can you say that? This is Piper we are talking about! I thought you cared about her!' Paige yelled.

Leo did not try to argue back. He knew Paige was right, but he also knew that he would get into trouble if he did heal Piper.

'If you are not even going to make a retort, I may as well leave,' said Paige. 'I have a spell to reverse, whether I like it or not…'

'Pa –' Leo began to say, but Paige had already orbed out before she could finish hearing him say her name.

Paige had orbed in behind the screen that was in the quarantined hospital room. This was a precautionary action, just in case any member of hospital staff was within view of the room from the corridor outside.

Paige peeked out from behind the screen and noticed that while Piper and Phoebe were the only ones, other than herself, present inside the quarantined room, the corridor outside was also empty.

Paige walked over to Piper and Phoebe.

'Did you get it?' Phoebe asked.

Paige nodded. Looking at Piper, the youngest Charmed One asked, 'Are you sure you want us to do this?'

Only a blank expression could be found on Piper's face as she confirmed, 'I'm sure.'

Paige held the spell out in front of her so as Phoebe could also see it. Since the bed was currently occupied by the eldest Halliwell, Piper decided to sit on the floor, leaning back against a wall. She knew as well as her younger sisters did that as soon as the spell was reversed, she would fall unconscious. Piper closed her eyes, preparing herself for what was to come.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged nervous glances before they directed their gazes to the piece of paper that held the words to the reversal spell. The sound of Phoebe clearing her throat was the cue for the two of them to begin chanting.

As they finished reading the spell, the two sisters looked over at Piper. Her eyes were still closed and her breathing rate did not appear to have changed.

'Piper?' Phoebe uttered.

Piper opened her eyes, looking up at Phoebe and Paige.

'Uh… How are you feeling?' asked Phoebe, beginning to wonder whether or not the spell had had any effect. There was always the minute possibility that the spell had worked, but Piper would have originally recovered without it anyway, which would explain why she still appeared fine.

Piper slowly got to her feet. She furrowed her brow. 'No different to how I felt before you reversed it… Are you sure you reversed it? I have a feeling the spell didn't work.'

'Why wouldn't it work?' asked Phoebe.

Piper and Phoebe looked over to Paige, wondering why she had not responded. Paige was looking at the hospital bed.

'We need Prue…' Paige muttered.

'What do you mean?' Phoebe asked Paige.

'There was a disclaimer on the reversal spell. I was hoping we could cast the spell anyway, but obviously not…' continued Paige, rambling more to herself than to her sisters.

'Paige… What was the disclaimer?' Piper asked.

Paige turned to face her sisters, and said, 'Three of us need to say the reversal spell…'

Phoebe shook her head. 'That makes no sense. This spell isn't a Power of Three spell. I saw the page on the Book of Shadows earlier and it definitely did not need all three of us to say it. It was our own decision to all say it for Piper.'

Paige sighed. 'I never said Power of Three, did I? All I said was that you, me, and Prue need to say the reversal for it to work.'

'Why?' Piper asked.

'The disclaimer, that's why. The number of people casting the original spell must match the number casting the reversal spell,' explained Paige. 'Unfortunately Piper cannot count as the third witch, because she is the one we are casting it on.'

'Ugh! Why can't anything ever be simple?' Phoebe looked over at the hospital bed where Prue lay unconscious. 'Prue! If you can hear us at all, we need you back!'

'I don't think that's going to work,' Piper said.

Phoebe shrugged. 'It was worth a try.'

'The only way to get Prue back here is to get out on the ward and speak to A.P.…' said Piper, pacing as she spoke her thoughts out loud.

The discussion continued over the next two minutes, because they had to think and talk fast, as the more time they wasted, the more the disease would have a chance to spread. Soon a plan between the three sisters was settled on. All they needed was for a staff member to come into the corridor.

Sure enough a nurse passed along the corridor within the next few minutes. Phoebe dropped to the floor, near the screen, and began coughing hysterically. Piper ran over to the window and began knocking on it frantically. The nurse stopped and pressed the intercom button.

'Yes?' said the nurse. The nurse had long blonde hair tied back in a pony tale. Her eyes were blue and she was relatively slim.

'There's something wrong with my sister!' Piper said anxiously. 'Please help her!'

The nurse looked past Piper and noticed Phoebe spread out on the floor, coughing loudly and dramatically. The nurse opened the door and hastily entered the quarantined room to check on Phoebe. Keeping the door open with one hand, Piper flicked the wrist of her other hand and the nurse froze mid-run.

Phoebe finished fake-coughing, smiling at the success of her convincing acting. Phoebe stood up. She took the nurse's staff I.D. badge and moved the screen so as if anyone looked in from the corridor, they would not see the frozen nurse. The next step was Paige's. Paige took a deep breath to concentrate as she glamoured into the nurse.

Phoebe had held the door open while Piper had ventured into the corridor. Piper came back into their quarantined room – which technically could not be defined as a quarantined room while the door was open – with some pale blue scrubs in her hands. Piper threw the scrubs towards Paige, who caught them.

'No nurse walks around in a patient's garments,' Piper explained.

Paige understood. Although she had glamoured her appearance, she was still wearing the garments that the hospital had provided her with when putting her in quarantine. She quickly changed into the scrubs. Phoebe then passed Paige the I.D. badge, which Paige attached to her scrubs.

Phoebe and Paige left the quarantined room, while Piper let herself get shut back in. Piper's task was to make sure the nurse staid frozen. Phoebe and Paige had the task of looking for astral Prue.

Paige's whitelighter senses were no use in looking for Prue, because she could only sense the whereabouts of Prue (who was in the quarantined room) and not astral Prue. As Phoebe had already had a premonition of the room that Andy was in, she knew where to look, and therefore Phoebe could guide them there. However Phoebe would not be able to wander around the corridors on her own without getting recognised. Being escorted by someone that looked like a member of the hospital staff, however, would allow them to go looking for Prue… at least, that's what they hoped and is what they had decided to act upon.

Phoebe and Paige began to walk along the corridor. Phoebe peered into every room they passed, looking for one that was similar to the one in her premonition. There were quite a number of interns and nurses who would be very likely to recognise Phoebe as one of the Halliwell sisters. However their main threat would be if they bumped into Dr. Williamson or a member of the CDC.

An intern approached them and stopped them in their tracks. 'Sally,' he said, addressing Paige. 'Why is one of the quarantined patients out of their room?'

'Dr. Williamson told me to take her to the room with the Trudeau patient in. The doctor wants to see if Mrs. Halliwell's sister can convince her to go back to the quarantined room,' improvised Paige.

'Oh… I see…' said the intern. 'Why didn't I get informed of this?'

Paige shrugged. 'Dr. Williamson's a little too busy with treating patients to go around informing everyone. Now if you excuse me…'

Phoebe and Paige continued past the intern. They dealt with any other intern or nurse that stopped them in the same manner and fortunately did not come across Dr. Williamson at all.

They were continuing down the corridor when Phoebe suddenly came to a stop at a door. Paige backtracked and came to a stop next to Phoebe.

'This is it,' Phoebe said quietly.

'Are you sure?' Paige asked quietly.

Without looking back at Paige, Phoebe nodded. Phoebe entered the room. It was not a private room. There were many beds set out, each bed filled with a hospital patient – presumably suffering from the disease.

As they passed the beds, Phoebe picked up clipboards that had each patient's diagnosis and treatment instructions on. Although she could not understand most of the medical jargon, Phoebe could understand the parts where it either said _critical_ or _not critical_.

Placing down a fifth clipboard as they continued along the room, Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. 'By the looks of it, no one in here is critical. Hopefully that means that as soon as we reverse the spell, they'll all recover straight away.'

Paige nodded. 'That's good, because I doubt reversing the spell would bring anyone back to life… you know, if it were too late.'

They had finally reached the far end of the room. The wall at the far end of the room was not visible, because the area containing the last bed had been hidden from the view of the rest of the room by a curtain. Slowly Phoebe and Paige peeked around the curtain.

Andy was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. He was connected to a heart monitor and other electronic equipment. Astral Prue sat on a chair right next to the bed. Her cheeks were tear-stained. Her hand rested on Andy's hand.

Phoebe and Paige walked into the curtained-off area, making their presence known to astral Prue. Astral Prue glared angrily at Paige – there was no way that astral Prue could know that she was Paige in a glamour – but her glare softened as she noticed Phoebe there too.

'Phoebe, what are you doing here?' asked astral Prue.

Paige cleared her throat. 'And Paige too.' When astral Prue offered Paige a puzzled expression, Paige smiled and waved. 'We had to get to you somehow.'

'Paige?' astral Prue questioned.

Paige nodded. 'That's what I said.'

'What are you two doing here?' astral Prue asked. Then she went pale. 'Oh no. Is Piper okay?'

'Piper's fine… for now…' said Phoebe solemnly.

'What do you mean by that?' astral Prue asked.

'We need you back so as we can reverse the spell,' Paige said.

'Not just for Andy's sake, but for everyone else in this ward,' continued Phoebe.

'What about Piper?' asked astral Prue, who by now had stood up from her seat.

Phoebe sighed. She even began to well up a little as she said, 'Piper's the one who wants the spell reversed.'

Astral Prue gulped. 'We can't do this to Piper…'

'We don't want to, but Piper would rather it was her than any other innocent in this ward, including Andy…' said Paige.

'Are you with us?' Phoebe asked.

Astral Prue sighed. 'I will go back there with the two of you. Whether it's to talk some sense into Piper, or to cast the reversal spell… I don't know yet.'

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

'You are going to have to walk back with us. The staff know you are out here, so you can't suddenly appear in the quarantined room again,' said Phoebe.

Astral Prue nodded. She took one last glance back at Andy. She leant down and kissed him, before standing back up. 'I'll be back for you…' she whispered. Then she turned to her sisters and said, 'Let's go.'

The three sisters – or technically: the one sister, the astral version of another, and the third one disguised as a member of hospital staff – left the hospital room quickly. As they entered the corridor, they slowed their pace down a little so as not to look suspicious.

'Ow!' Phoebe said.

Astral Prue and Paige came to a stop. They looked around to see Phoebe standing still, bending over to rub her ankle. She was looking at the floor all around her.

'Pheebs, we're kind of in a hurry…' astral Prue pressed.

Phoebe looked up at astral Prue and Paige. 'I know,' Phoebe mumbled. 'I swear something sharp just poked my ankle…'

Astral Prue held out a hand to help Phoebe stand up fully. As Phoebe stood up, she put her free hand to her forehead.

'Woah, must have stood up too quick. I feel a little dizzy,' said Phoebe.

That was their only hold-up on their route back to the quarantined room. When they got back to the corridor outside the quarantined room, there was a nurse waiting outside. The nurse saw Paige – who was still glamouring as the nurse called Sally – almost immediately after seeing two of the Halliwell sisters with her.

'Sally!' the nurse said. 'What's going on?'

'I had to get the eldest Halliwell sister back here, so I took this other one to convince her to come back,' said Paige, a little bored of the excuse now that she had had to use it so many times.

Rather than questioning Paige, the nurse turned to the quarantined room's door. He tapped some numbers, entering the code to unlock the door. Once it was unlocked, Paige ushered astral Prue and Phoebe in. The nurse shut the door.

'Uh… A doctor said they wanted you in room 10…1?' Paige said, trying to make up a reason for him to leave.

'Er… Okay…' said the nurse. He ran down the corridor.

Once he was out of sight, Paige turned back to the quarantined room's door. She did not know the code to get in, but since no one was around, Paige took off the glamour, turning back into her normal self, and then orbed into the quarantined room.

Astral Prue had already disappeared, while Prue was getting up from the hospital bed. Now that Paige had orbed into the room, Phoebe took the I.D. badge back from Paige, in order to give it back to the frozen nurse. Phoebe thought it was best that she sit back on the floor, which is where she had been when the nurse was initially frozen. Piper unfroze the nurse that actually was Sally.

Fortunately Sally did not notice that an extra sister, Prue, was now in the room or that Paige was wearing scrubs instead of the hospital garments. Sally helped Phoebe – who was letting out a few throaty coughs – to her feet. As Phoebe got to her feet, she lost her balance, but eventually managed to get to her feet, swaying a little.

'Those coughs seem to be getting worse…' Sally pointed out. 'When did this start?'

'She's fine,' said Piper persistently. They did not have time to waste. They needed to cast the spell. 'Now you can leave.'

'Hmm… I think I should go and consult Dr. Williamson about your sister…' Sally said to Piper.

'Fine, do that. Just leave,' said Piper.

Sally left the room quite hastily. Prue, Piper, and Paige turned to look at Phoebe as soon as the nurse was no longer within view of the windows.

'Pheebs, the plan wasn't to continue fake coughing after we had gotten Prue back,' said Paige.

Phoebe frowned. 'I wasn't faking…'

* * *

**A/N:** Explanations can be found in the next chapter. For now you may theorise what's going to happen. Please review!


	37. Awakened (And Two Down)

**Chapter Thirty Seven: Awakened (And Two Down)**

Phoebe was trying to persuade her sisters to start saying the spell. They did not want to waste anymore time on talking. However Prue, Piper, and Paige were all focused on what Phoebe had just said.

'Did you just say that you weren't faking?' Piper asked.

'Yeah,' replied Phoebe.

'When exactly did you catch it?' Piper asked, worried for her little sister.

Prue sighed. 'You should never have left this room, Pheebs.'

'We had to,' said Phoebe. 'It doesn't even matter, because we are about to reverse this spell, and Piper is the only one we have to worry about.'

All eyes turned to Piper, who nodded.

'She's right,' said Piper. 'We need to reverse this spell. Phoebe should be fine after we do that…'

'You won't be though,' said Prue.

'That doesn't matter,' said Piper. She sat down on the hospital bed and looked up at her sisters. 'I'm ready. Say the spell.'

Phoebe held out the piece of paper with the spell on so as Prue and Paige could see it. The three of them began to chant the spell together. As they finished chanting, Piper dropped backwards on the bed.

Like clockwork, Dr. Williamson came running into the room, accompanied by an intern.

'I was told that one of you may be showing symptoms of the Arroyo fever,' said Dr. Williamson.

'Er… yeah! Piper is!' Prue said, pointing at her now unconscious comatose sister.

Dr. Williamson ran over to Piper and checked her vital signs. He turned to the intern and said, 'Get a crash cart now!' The intern nodded and ran off. The intern came back almost immediately with a crash cart, followed by some other interns and nurses. They started switching on the electrical equipment and soon Piper was connected to it for monitoring.

'Can you hear me, Miss Halliwell?' Dr. Williamson asked a non-responsive Piper. He turned to the staff around him and instructed them. 'Assist in respiration. Starting CPR.' Dr. Williamson immediately started CPR.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were watching this all take place. Each of them were welling up with tears. They did not even notice Dan rush in to be by Piper's side. Dr. Williamson was preparing to try and resuscitate Piper with some electronic paddles.

As Dr. Williamson stated Piper's time of death (9.40 a.m.), the room went silent, except for a thud as Phoebe fell to the floor. Prue and Paige did not turn around; they could not take their eyes off Piper; they assumed Phoebe had fainted from the stress of what was going on in front of them.

Piper all of a sudden made everyone jump by beginning to cough. Surprised by this sudden response after she had been thought dead, Dr. Williamson began to check her vital signs. Meanwhile Dan took hold of Piper's hand.

Prue and Paige exchanged shocked but happy looks. Somehow Piper had survived. They did not know how, but she had survived.

'Leo.' Everyone in the room heard the barely conscious patient mutter the name. The name meant nothing to the hospital staff. However it meant a lot to Prue and Paige, as well as to Dan.

Piper suddenly let out another gasp as she sat up fully conscious. She looked around her, a little confused. Dan hugged her. Prue and Paige ran through the small crowd of hospital staff to welcome their sister back.

'Is she breathing?' they heard Dr. Williamson shout from behind them.

Prue and Paige turned around to face the rest of the room. Piper also looked in the same direction. Dr. Williamson and a nurse were kneeling by an unconscious Phoebe. Dr. Williamson put his hand on Phoebe's wrist, looking for a pulse. From his crouched position on the floor, Dr. Williamson turned to look over at Prue, Piper, and Paige.

'I am sorry,' Dr. Williamson said. 'I don't know what happened, but… she did not make it.'

Piper got up out of the hospital bed with the help of Dan. Piper went to stand next to Prue and Paige. The three sisters walked towards Phoebe.

'She was showing symptoms…' muttered Paige.

'They should have gone though…' Prue said quietly.

'She shouldn't be… It should have been me,' said Piper, breaking down into tears.

Prue and Paige were still in tears from Piper's deterioration and sudden recovery.

'C – Co – Could you please leave us alone for a few minutes?' Piper asked.

The doctor nodded. 'I will be back in five minutes.' He and the other hospital staff left the room.

'I'll be in the waiting room,' said Dan respectfully. 'I am so sorry…' He left the room.

The three sisters knelt down so as they were closer to where Phoebe lay.

'H – H – How did this even ha – happen?' Paige asked her sisters. 'The sp – spell w – was re – re –'

'Reversed,' Prue concluded for her youngest sister. 'I don't quite understand it either… Does this mean all the other patients in this ward are still suffering from Arroyo fever?'

'W – W – Why did it even happen s – so qu – quickly?' Paige asked. 'E – E – Everyone else who had caught it was st – st – still okay, while the spell wa – was still active.'

'H – He c – could h – have s – saved her, b – b – but he s – saved m – m – me instead. W – W – W – Why?' Piper said amongst her sobs.

'He? As in Leo… Leo saved you. He healed you? Even after he told us he wouldn't…' said Prue.

Piper nodded. 'W – Why not Ph – Ph – Phoebe though?'

Paige took a deep breath to stem her own crying for a few minutes while she said, 'This just does not make any sense…' Paige put a hand on her late sister's arm and –

Paige's eyes widened in shock as she felt like she was being orbed somewhere. The scene around her had changed and it was now tinted in a blue colour. No one in the scene around her had noticed her sudden appearance.

_Sally – Paige when she was glamouring – was standing next to Phoebe. Astral Prue was speaking to an unconscious Andy who lay on the hospital bed. Astral Prue stood up and followed Phoebe and the disguised Paige out of sight as they went past the curtains._

Paige wanted to follow them, but she could not. She turned around to face Andy. He was still and quiet and was connected to some different hospital machinery.

_Suddenly the heart monitor began to slow down, until it flat lined. A doctor opened the curtains and ran to Andy's bedside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the monitor. She shouted across the room where a nurse was now visible at the other end._

_'Get a crash cart in here now!' she yelled. The nurse nodded and soon came running over with a crash cart._

_The doctor began to perform CPR on Andy. When that did not work, she got the paddles charged up and began to press those onto Andy, sending electric shocks through his body. His body remained limp._

_The doctor shook her head and let out a sigh of defeat. 'Time of death…' She paused to look up at a clock on the wall. 'Time of death: 9.32 a.m.'_

_As the doctor pulled the bed sheet over Andy, a patient on a nearby bed suddenly sat up. The patient looked around towards the doctor, a little puzzled as to why they were there. More and more patients began to rise out of their beds, looking fit and healthy._

Paige felt like she had orbed back into the quarantined hospital room as she lost her balance and fell onto her back. Luckily, the fall had not been that great as she had been kneeling down anyway.

Prue and Piper were staring at her.

'What happened?' Piper asked.

Paige took a shaky breath as she recalled what she had seen. 'I had a premonition…' Paige looked over at Prue apologetically. 'Prue… I'm so sorry… The good news is that everyone that was infected before – except for Phoebe – made a miraculous recovery as soon as the spell was reversed…'

Piper looked shocked. '_You_ had a premonition?' She looked down at Phoebe. 'She's really gone…' Piper closed her eyes as another round of tears and agony worked their way to the surface.

'You were apologising to me. Why were you apologising to me?' Prue asked fretfully.

Paige hesitated. She did not want to be the one to break the bad news to Prue, but it was better for Prue to hear it from her than from one of the doctors.

'Prue… Andy… He… Before the spell was reversed, he…' Paige trailed off. It was not that she did not know how to put it into words; it was that she did not want to put it into words. However, she did not need to finish her sentence, because Prue had already understood the message.

Crying over the loss and return of Piper had drained Prue a lot. Then crying over the loss of Phoebe had brought about another overwhelming bout of emotions for Prue. Even after all of that, Prue still had more tears to suffer with. Prue looked away from her sisters and covered her face with her hands to try and hide her pain.

Piper had opened her eyes on hearing about the loss of Andy. She turned to see Prue huddled up in tears. Piper gave Prue a consoling hug.

'I still don't understand why Phoebe…' Paige said, trying to keep her head amongst all the sadness. 'She should have recovered… She did not go unconscious until after the spell was reversed…'

Prue took her hands away from her face and turned to face her sisters.

'We must be able to bring Phoebe and Andy back… We are the Charmed Ones after all… We must be powerful enough to do that…' Prue said.

A man they did not recognise walked into the room, pushing a gurney. 'I am so sorry for your loss, but I have been asked to take your sister away.'

Prue stood up, rubbing the tears from her eyes. 'Why? Who are you?'

'The mortician's assistant,' said the mortician's assistant. 'I have to take her down to the morgue.'

Piper and Paige stood up to stand at Prue's side. The three of them were standing between Phoebe and the mortician's assistant.

'You can't take her…' said Prue stubbornly.

'I am so sorry, but it's procedure,' said the mortician's assistant.

Piper flicked her wrists up, freezing the mortician's assistant. 'Prue, what do we do?'

'Andy's probably already in the morgue. We need to act quickly if we want to figure out a way to bring them both back,' said Paige.

'Uh… How do we do this..? We need a spell…' said Prue. 'Ugh. Phoebe was always the best with making these up on the spot…'

'Well, there is no way that a made-up resurrection spell would work… I don't even know if those exist… What we need is time…' said Paige.

The three sisters held hands so as to channel the Power of Three as they improvised a spell.

'_Preserve Phoebe and Andy_,' Piper began.

'_Until the spell we need comes in handy_?' concluded Paige, shrugging.

A faint glow appeared over Phoebe's body, which then faded. Phoebe's body then disappeared from sight.

The mortician's assistant suddenly unfroze. 'Why was I here again?' he asked the sisters.

'You don't remember?' asked Prue.

The mortician's assistant grimaced. 'Sorry for the trouble.' He walked off with his gurney.

'The spell worked?' Piper said a little questionably.

'I think so. I am hoping that means Andy is safe too until we can figure this out,' said Prue.

Dr. Williamson walked into the room. 'Everyone seems to have recovered from Arroyo fever, which means quarantine is over. You are free to go.'

Prue, Piper, and Paige nodded. When Dr. Williamson had left the room, Paige said, 'So no one except us remembers what happened to Phoebe and Andy then?'

'Spells work in funny ways,' said Prue.

'Let's just get back to the manor as fast as possible so as we can check the Book and start coming up with resurrection methods,' said Piper.

'Sounds like a plan to me,' said Prue.

'Considering none of us exactly got here by the method of our own cars, shall I do the honours of orbing us there?' suggested Paige.

Prue looked towards the empty corridor. 'The coast looks clear, so the honour is all yours.' Prue took one of Paige's hand.

'Lead the way, Paige,' said Piper, who took hold of Paige's other hand.

As soon as all three sisters had linked hands, Paige orbed them out of the hospital.

* * *

The instant they appeared in the attic, Prue rushed over to the Book of Shadows. The Book was still open to the page regarding the reversal spell. Prue flipped to the page after it which had more information on it.

Prue began to read it out loud: 'The individual that the spell was cast upon will be immune to the effects of sleep and other ailments unless – or until – the spell is reversed. The spell casters will also become immune to sleep, but if they are infected by the ailment during the period of the spell, they will not be immune. Even if the spell is reversed, the ailment will still take effect on the infected spell caster.'

Prue looked up from the Book at her two perplexed sisters.

'That's why…' said Paige in despair.

Prue looked back down at the Book and began to flick through the Book for any useful entry concerning bringing Phoebe and Andy back.

Prue stopped for a second, buckling over a little. At the same time, Piper put her hand to her own forehead. Almost instantaneously, Paige suddenly felt a little dizzy.

As Prue straightened up, she must have noticed Piper and Paige's demeanours, because she asked, 'What just happened?'

Piper removed her hand from her forehead. 'So I wasn't the only one who just felt a sudden lack of energy as if something had been taken from me?'

'You definitely have a way with words, because I would have never thought of describing it like that,' said Paige.

'Whatever it was, it cannot be good, but Phoebe and Andy come before us,' said Prue.

Prue turned her sights back to the Book of Shadows. Prue suddenly went pale.

'Prue? What's wrong?' Piper asked.

'The Book… It's… Blank…' Prue began to turn the pages rapidly. 'They're all blank! How? They were all filled with entries less than a minute ago!'

'This can't be good…' said Piper.

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoed through the attic. Paige wandered over to the window to see if she could spot who was ringing the doorbell. Standing on the porch was Leo.

'Why doesn't he just orb up here?' Paige asked.

'Who?' said Piper.

Paige turned around to face Prue and Piper. 'Leo's at the door.'

'Maybe he is respecting our privacy. I would think that he already knows what has happened,' said Prue.

'I'll go and let him in,' Piper said. 'I need to thank him anyway – and then throttle him for not saving Phoebe too.'

Piper walked out of the attic. Paige went over to Prue to have a look at the empty Book. Prue had not been exaggerating when she had said that the pages were all blank. Paige closed the Book. The triquetra on the cover was broken.

'This isn't right at all,' muttered Prue.

'Something is very wrong,' agreed Paige.

Piper came walking into the attic with Leo. He looked very serious and grave.

'I am so sorry about Phoebe…' said Leo.

'Don't waste time on words with us,' said Prue immediately. 'We need you to orb on up there and ask your bosses why we suddenly have an empty Book of Shadows, but before that, you can tell them to bring Phoebe and Andy back!'

'He can't…' Piper said. 'Leo was just telling me that they found out that he had healed me against their orders. They clipped his wings.'

'You're mortal?' Paige asked.

Leo nodded. 'That's not an issue though. The issue is you three.' When all three sisters looked confused, Leo continued. 'Before clipping my wings, the Elders found out what had happened to Phoebe. They then realised that the Power of Three still existed… Even without Phoebe.'

Prue's eyes widened in realisation. 'The Elders figured out about Paige?'

'It was easy to figure out when Phoebe's power was being used by another witch,' said Leo. 'Did you by any chance feel light headed within the past half hour?' When the three sisters nodded, Leo continued. 'The Elders took away your powers, your magic, Paige's whitelighter abilities…'

'Why?' asked Piper. 'It's not our fault there were four of us for a three person prophecy! Besides what does it matter that there were four of us?'

Leo sighed. 'I don't even have a clue of their reasoning with that rule… Then again, they were going to let you die earlier and – as far as they knew – that would have broken the Power of Three as well.'

'So let me get this straight: We've lost our sister,' began Piper.

'I've lost my husband,' continued Prue.

'And now we don't even have any magic to try and bring them back,' concluded Paige.

'That pretty much sums it up,' said Leo gloomily.

* * *

**A/N:** This ending is what caused my long writer's block in regards to how to write the next episode. However, the next episode is written, so there won't be too long a wait in store.

Phoebe and Andy are dead. The Elders know about the family connection. The remaining three sisters and Leo are all powerless. Please review!


	38. Animal Pragmatism (And Giving Up)

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews for the previous chapter. That was probably one of the biggest cliffhangers in this PW series. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. It's just so as I can split _Animal Pragmatism_ into more than one part, because really this has _nothing_ - thankfully - to do with the canon episode, and is all about the reactions to the events of _Awakene__d_.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Eight: Animal Pragmatism (And Giving Up)**

Mere moments had passed since Leo had revealed to Prue, Piper, and Paige what the Elders had done. With their powers removed and Leo's wings clipped, the four of them were completely powerless to do anything about saving Phoebe and Andy.

'What are we going to do?' Piper asked. 'We can't give up on Phoebe.'

Prue nodded. She shut the currently useless Book of Shadows and looked up at her sisters and Leo.

'We need magic,' Prue said. 'We've all got contacts. Leo, you must have had some charges within the San Francisco area, right? Do you think you could go and find them by foot? Witches, not potential whitelighters.' Prue paused before adding, 'Go with Piper. Driving will be faster than walking.'

Leo nodded. Piper looked a little uncomfortable at being paired with Leo, but brushed the awkwardness to one side – the task was more important.

As Piper and Leo left the attic, Prue turned to Paige and continued, 'Paige, phone the Strattons. I want them on their way here straight away.'

'Sounds like a plan,' said Paige. 'What are you going to do?'

Prue suddenly noticed that the portal door was absent from the attic. 'Going to Portland's definitely not on the list…' she muttered.

Paige sighed. 'I guess any spells we've done are no longer in effect…'

Prue furrowed her brow. 'No. Everyone – except us, Piper, and Leo – has no idea what happened to Phoebe and Andy. That spell's still in effect.'

'Maybe Power of Three spells are safe from our loss of power,' said Paige. 'The portal door spell was not a Power of Three spell, so it's no longer active.'

'Okay. I'll get my plan sorted. You go phone the Strattons,' said Prue.

Paige nodded. She left to find the phone.

The attempt to contact the Strattons by phone had been unsuccessful. Paige found herself returning to the attic a few minutes later, searching for Prue. However Prue was not in there.

Paige went back down the stairs to the next landing. She stood still in the landing to listen out for any sign of where Prue could have gone. Paige knew her eldest sister had not left the house, because Paige had been on the phone in the foyer and had not seen Prue pass her at all.

Paige suddenly heard a faint sound coming from Piper's bedroom – from Prue's old bedroom. The sound was quite muffled, but Paige could tell what was going on straight away. She walked quietly but quickly over to the door and gently opened it, peering in.

Prue was huddled in one corner of the room against a wall. She was sobbing into her hands as quietly as possible. Prue had not yet noticed that Paige had entered. Piper's walk-in wardrobe was currently open. Many items littered the floor. It appeared to Paige that Prue had been searching for something within the wardrobe before her sudden breakdown.

Paige walked over to Prue and sat down next to her. Paige put a consoling arm around her big sister. Prue finally looked away from her hands and noticed the presence of her youngest sister. Prue tried to wipe away her tears, but could not stop the involuntary sniffs and irregular breathing as she continued to cry.

Taking a deep breath to console her sobs for long enough to speak, Prue said, 'You're not supposed to see me like this. I'm the sister that keeps everything in order when ev – ev – everyth – thi – thing isn't.'

Paige could feel the onset of tears that she herself was suddenly trying to hold back. Failing, Paige replied as sobs threatened to falter her words. 'We are going to get Phoebe and Andy back, r – r – ri – ight?'

Prue nodded. 'I'm never going to give up.' The eldest Halliwell sister managed to hold back her sobs for long enough to inject the necessary amount of confidence and determination into that sentence.

Prue reached over to a nearby dresser where a box of tissues sat. On pulling a tissue from the box, to hand to Paige, Prue had inadvertently knocked a photo frame from the dresser. The photo frame fell from the dresser to the floor, accompanied by the sound of glass smashing. The photo frame had fallen to the floor face down. Prue carefully picked the photo frame up, making sure not to cut herself on the glass.

As Prue looked at the picture within the frame, Paige also hazarded a look. It was a photo of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe standing just in front of Halliwell manor. They did not look terribly happy at having the photo taken. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were standing relatively far apart from one another and the photo did not look too old.

'When was that taken?' Paige asked, managing to quell her tears.

'Not long before Grams died,' Prue replied, her sobs finally stopping as she began to reminisce. 'She wanted to get a picture of the three of us, but none of us wanted to be there.' Prue paused as a rebellious, lone sob managed to interrupt her for a split second. 'We have tonnes of group photos from when we were little and from when we were teens, but… I think this is the only recent photo we actually have of me, Piper, and Ph – Ph – Phoebe a – as – as adults…' Prue threw the photo across the room in anguish as she continued with: 'And we'll never have another photo with her!' Prue's uncontrollable sobs had returned along with her outburst. She turned to face Paige and managed to add, 'W – W – We ne – ne – never even had the ch – chan – chance to take a ph – photo wi – wi – with you in. The fo – fo – four Halliwell si – si - sisters reunited…'

Paige shook her head, trying to contain her tears for long enough to say: 'Don't say that, Prue. Please don't say that… It sounds like you're giving up.'

Prue stood up abruptly at hearing these words. Successfully managing to fight off her tears this time, Prue said, 'I didn't finish my sentence. We never had the chance to, but we will. Phoebe's coming back. So is Andy. And then we're getting our powers back.'

With a renewed determination and at having finished her venting, Prue looked down at Paige. Prue helped Paige to her feet.

While Prue went over to retrieve the photo and its broken frame, Paige examined the closet that Prue had been searching through. Just like the floor of the main bedroom, Prue's search had left the walk-in wardrobe in a mess. Clothes were thrown all about the place. Only one area of the walk-in wardrobe's floor remained clear. In the far corner a circle of crystals surrounded a piece of carpet that had been ripped up to reveal a hole where a few floorboards should have been.

Paige turned around to face Prue. Paige did not need to ask the question for Prue to know that there was a question to be asked. Prue did not stop Paige from running through the clothes-filled floor over to the wardrobe's corner. Prue did not stop Paige from kneeling down by the crystals and reaching past them – the crystal barrier no longer worked now that their magic was gone – to remove the contents from the hole. The contents: A piece of paper.

As Paige stood up with the piece of paper in her hands, she could not quite believe what she was looking at. She could not quite believe that she was holding this in her hands right now, the real thing… the definite article… the one and only. The piece of paper was extremely worn and looked almost ancient, but it was magical and fully functional nonetheless.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Paige said, looking up at Prue.

Prue stood there silently with her arms folded.

'What happened in here?' Piper's voice came from the main bedroom. 'Oh no! What if a demon attacked them?'

'A demon wouldn't have attacked them,' Leo's voice responded. 'The Elders are obviously trying to shut us out from the magical world completely, so that will include demons.'

Piper and Leo suddenly walked over to the open wardrobe door to see Prue and Paige in there.

'What did you do to my room _and_ my wardrobe?' Piper almost freaked at the mess.

'Was that your way of saying that you couldn't find any of your charges, Leo?' Prue asked, ignoring her sister's reaction.

Leo paid no attention to Prue's question. Instead he looked at the item in Paige's hands and asked, 'Where did you get _that_?'

Paige took no notice of Leo's question and turned to Piper: 'So you couldn't find anyone magical and I couldn't contact the Strattons… So _this _–' Paige paused to look at the piece of paper she was referring to. '– is possibly our only bargaining chip.'

Piper looked at the yellowed piece of paper with the two lists of names written in a barely legible style of handwriting. 'What is it?' the second eldest Halliwell sister asked.

'It's our plan B,' Prue said. 'I was only going to use it if nothing else worked, and it looks like we're going to have to use it now.'

'Prue, how did you get it?' Leo asked more furiously. 'How did you get a hold of Death's list?'

* * *

**A/N:** Death's List? _How_, no, _when_, no, _why_ does Prue have that? And what do you think the sisters will do with it? Please review.


	39. Animal Pragmatism (And Negotiations--)

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! I think the only thing that connects this chapter with _Animal Pragmatism_ is the fact that Piper's having a Valentines Event at the club, except there are no animals involved with this version.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Nine: Animal Pragmatism (And Negotiations With Death)**

Piper looked frantically from Prue to Leo to the list that Paige was holding. The atmosphere in the walk-in wardrobe had suddenly gone very tense and silent as thoughts began to whir about the list.

Piper eventually broke the silence. '_That_ is Death's list? What are _we_ doing with _Death's_ _list_?'

'We're using it to save our sister and my husband,' Prue said adamantly.

'Prue! How did you even get this?' Leo repeated, motioning furiously at the list in Paige's hands. When Prue did not answer, Leo modified his question: 'How long have you had this?'

Prue was despondently picking away at her cuticles, not even looking Leo in the eye. Paige noticed that despite having been in the midst of a full on cry five minutes ago, Prue's eyes were no longer puffy and there was no evidence on her face that she had been crying.

'Prue!' Leo said.

Prue finally looked up at Leo. Her glare was like broken glass.

'Leo, how I got a hold of it does not matter. What matters is getting Phoebe and Andy back,' Prue ranted. 'I don't care that it's against the rules. I don't care that it could ruin the grand design. If the world has to fall apart just to get at least one of them back, I'll happily oblige.'

'It sounds like an intriguing discussion. Continue,' said the daunting voice of an unseen male.

Piper and Leo jumped in surprise as the voice had come from behind them. Prue and Paige were just as shocked by the sudden appearance of the dirty blonde dressed all in black as they had only just noticed him. It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere without so much a sound or a movement.

'Who are you?' Prue scowled.

'The Angel of Death,' Leo muttered.

'That's him? _The_ Angel of Death?' Paige said in awe. Then she remembered that she was holding his list. She quickly hid the list behind her back, gulping at the prospect that she had the incriminating evidence in her hands.

Piper glowered at the Angel of Death. 'You already took our mother and our grandmother. Now you've taken our sister and Andy. You're not welcome in this home. We don't want you here.'

'Actually we do,' said Prue, stepping past Piper and Leo towards the Angel of Death.

'We do?' Piper said, puzzled.

'We do,' Prue confirmed. 'You know that we have your list, I assume.'

'Of course. If your sister would stop trying to hide it from my sight, I will gladly take it back,' Death replied.

Paige blushed and brought her hands and the list back into full view of everyone. Paige went to walk forward, but Prue held her hand out to stop Paige from going any further.

'You heard me before. I would let the world fall apart just to get them back. Bring Phoebe and Andy back. Then and only then will we return your list to you,' Prue negotiated.

The Angel of Death shook his head. 'Your sister and your husband were not dead when you stole my list.'

'I know, but I did know that my husband was on your list,' Prue said. 'I stole it to ensure his safety.'

'_How_ did you even manage to steal it?' Leo interjected.

'Simple. A Power of Three spell,' Prue said, without turning to face Leo. Her eyes were fixed on Death's.

Piper and Paige exchanged confounded expressions.

'When did we..?' Paige began.

Once again, not moving her gaze from that of Death, Prue made a reply. 'Not long after our trip to the future… The Elders were preparing us for Andy's inevitable death. You all tried to tell me that if Andy was supposed to die, there was nothing we could do… You also supported me when I said that we couldn't just stand by and let that happen. I came up with a spell that I could read alone. One that would bring Death's list to me so as I could know when death was going to catch up with Andy… so as I could prevent it… It didn't work. I realised that I would need the Power of Three…'

'Prue, why didn't you tell us this? We would have helped you,' Piper said, leaning forward to put a consoling hand on Prue's shoulder.

'You did help me… without knowing,' Prue said, brushing Piper's hand off her shoulder, still without breaking eye contact away from Death. 'I managed to rework the spell so that I was channelling the Power of Three with help from our sometimes-evil-sometimes-good-mostly-neutral power source in the basement. With the help of that, you two and Phoebe only needed to be elsewhere within the manor for the spell to work.'

'Which of the two of us were home?' Piper asked.

'Phoebe and Paige,' Prue replied, still glaring at Death. 'You were at the club, Piper.' Piper nodded, but Prue did not see. The eldest sister continued nevertheless. 'When the list appeared in my hands, I realised that I had to quickly cast another Power of Three spell before the Angel of Death came looking for it. I realised that without the list, Death would be unable to know who was due to die, so – since it was before I moved out – I hid it beneath this wardrobe.'

All eyes, except for those of Prue and the Angel of Death's, wandered over to the corner of the walk-in wardrobe to land on the hole where the list had been kept. As Death began to speak, all eyes were drawn to him.

'Do you realise how many souls are wandering around lost on the ghostly plane because of you?' the Angel of Death asked Prue. 'Without my list, I don't know who is supposed to die. Nor do I know when they are supposed to die. You have made my duty thrice as difficult as what it should be, taking thrice as long as it should.'

'There are four Charmed sisters,' Paige pointed out. Prue's plan to bring Phoebe and Andy back was filling Paige with the confidence she needed to face the Angel of Death. 'You really should say quadruple and not thrice. Who even uses the word _thrice_, anyway?'

Allowing Prue to win the staring contest that had lasted so long between the pair, Death turned his gaze upon the youngest sister. 'None of you are _charmed_ anymore. Despite the Power of Three spell still being in effect, it has weakened enough for me to find my list. Now hand it over.'

'No,' Piper said, joining her sisters in the negotiation. 'You heard Prue. You know what it will take to get your list back. It's your choice, buddy. We can either make your life easier by returning your list to you in return for our sister and Andy; or you can spend the rest of eternity trying to find the people on your list without your list.'

Death's gaze now landed on the middle sister as he replied with: 'I am neutral. I do not make deals with the forces of good or evil.'

Everyone had practically forgotten Leo's presence in the wardrobe – and they had long forgotten that this important debate was taking place inside Piper's walk-in wardrobe too – so when Leo spoke up, the three sisters jumped.

'Bringing Phoebe and Andy back will not tip the balance in the favour of anybody,' Leo said. 'Andy is a mortal. No demon killed him. Bringing him back will do no harm to the grand design. Similarly, as you already know, the Charmed Ones are currently powerless, so bringing Phoebe back will not tip the balance in the favour of good.'

'It will when the sisters earn their powers back,' the Angel of Death replied, redirecting his cold gaze to Leo.

'They have the Power of Three with or without Phoebe,' Leo said. 'So what does it matter to you if Phoebe is brought back?'

'You know as well as I do – as well as the fear that the Elders now have – as to the power that four Charmed Ones could produce,' the Angel of Death said solemnly. 'Is it really a good idea for someone neutral like myself to allow good to have that much power?'

'We don't care about the power,' Prue said determinedly. 'I think I'd even go evil just to get my sister back. If that helps to keep your decision neutral, I'd do it.'

Piper, Paige, and Leo looked a little taken aback at this declaration, but after a few seconds, Piper and Paige nodded in agreement too.

'Either that or we'd never use our powers again for good or evil,' Piper added. 'We'd live a normal life as a family. You wouldn't have to worry about us tipping the balance of power.'

Leo took a deep breath. 'Look. The girls don't need to switch sides or stop altogether. Phoebe was never meant to die. Andy was the only one who was supposed to die. If you're going to allow anyone back, you should let it be Phoebe.'

Prue suddenly glared at Leo for taking Andy out of the negotiations altogether. Before she could start yelling at Leo, Death had already made his decision.

'I believe I can make such an exchange. A soul that should not be in my possession for a list that should be,' the Angel of Death agreed. 'Hand me my list.'

'We want Phoebe first,' Piper demanded.

'Without my list, I will be unable to find her soul,' the Angel of Death explained. 'Once I have found her soul, I shall return it to her body and return her to you. Now please hand me my list.'

Paige narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Death. 'How do we know we can trust you to keep your deal?'

The Angel of Death did not reply. His expression suggested that he was already very irritated by this conversation.

'You can trust the Angel of Death,' Leo assured the sisters. 'He'll doesn't break his promises.'

'That's only because I don't often make promises,' Death corrected.

Paige hesitantly handed Death his list. Not leaving in the same manner of teleportation as he had entered with, the Angel of Death disappeared in a wisp of black smoke.

'We're getting Phoebe back?' Piper said with a weak smile.

'I think we are,' Paige said, managing a smile too.

The two sisters turned to Prue. The eldest sister looked infuriated. She stormed out of the walk-in wardrobe without saying a word to Piper, Paige, or Leo.

Piper grimaced. 'We're not getting Andy back…'

* * *

A relatively quiet week passed the sisters by. The Angel of Death had not yet returned with Phoebe, but Leo kept reassuring the sisters that Death would not break the agreement. Without his whitelighter duties, Leo decided to spend that week helping Piper with the club which was close to its first Valentine's Day event. Over that week, Piper avoided Dan as much as she possibly could. He did not know Phoebe's current predicament due to the spell, and Piper needed to be able to speak to someone about her constant concern of how long the Angel of Death was taking.

Paige had two tasks throughout that week. She tried to keep her mind off of the wait by getting engrossed back into her work. At the same time, she was the sister that was dealing with making up an excuse to the local college as to why Phoebe would be a little late starting out there.

Then there was Prue. She allowed herself to become secluded in Phoebe's room for most of that week, awaiting the return of her sister. At the same time, however, Prue was unwilling to speak to Piper and Paige. It was not that Prue was not glad to have Phoebe back, but because she was not going to have Andy back too.

Valentine's Day finally came by. Piper, Paige, and Leo went to the club to keep up appearances and make sure that the event ran smoothly. They were still unable to convince Prue to leave the manor.

The night had been going by relatively well. When Paige noticed that Piper was nowhere to be seen, Paige made sure that Leo would be fine by the bar before wandering off to find Piper.

Paige eventually found Piper in the solitude of her office. Piper's head was slumped forward on her desk. She must have heard Paige close the door, because Piper suddenly looked up from her desk. Paige saw that her older sister's eyes were very puffy.

'Is everything okay?' Paige asked Piper.

Piper smiled weakly at her youngest sister. 'Don't worry about me. I'm just worrying like I always do.'

'About what?' Paige asked.

Piper shrugged, trying to sound as if it was not a big deal, even though it was. 'I'm just worrying about if –' Piper paused to correct herself. '– when we're next going to see Phoebe. I didn't expect it to take so long.'

'She's coming back to us,' Paige said.

Piper smiled at Paige. 'Thank you. I needed to hear that.'

'So… How are things between you and Leo?' Paige asked in an attempt to take Piper's mind off of the long wait.

Piper looked surprised by this tangent. 'Paige, I have a boyfriend, remember?'

Paige nodded. 'I remember Dan. I'm surprised you still remember him considering how much you've been avoiding him recently,' Paige joked. She became serious as she continued with: 'What I meant was… How you were mad at him for keeping the same fact from you that I kept from you… You know… That thing…'

Piper sighed. 'He saved my life. I can't not forgive him for that… That's all he is to me, as well as the fact that he's been there for me over the past week, because…' Piper trailed off.

'… you can tell him things that you can't tell Dan?' Paige concluded for Piper.

Before Piper could make an annoyed response to that issue, the door of the office burst open. Prue walked into the office, a small smile on her face.

'Prue? You're here?' Piper asked, standing up from her desk. 'I thought you didn't want to come.'

Piper and Paige suddenly noticed a second person enter the office. Piper and Paige clambered past Prue to hug the newest occupant of the office.

'Phoebe!' Piper squealed in delight.

'We've missed you!' Paige continued.

'Why are you hugging me?' Phoebe asked confused. 'I'm supposed to be the one who's glad to see Piper.'

Piper and Paige released Phoebe from their hug. Paige looked a little annoyed at her sister not seeming to care about her, but then Phoebe explained her choice of words.

'The last thing I remember – before turning up to see Prue sitting in my bedroom – was us reversing the spell on Piper. She was going to die, but she's absolutely fine,' Phoebe said.

Paige turned to Prue. 'You didn't tell her…'

'I didn't get the chance to,' Prue explained. 'I had to get her here to convince her that Piper was fine.'

Phoebe was looking between her sisters frantically. 'Tell me what? What have I forgotten? I hate when I'm the one that loses their memories.'

'I don't understand why you don't remember if your soul was wandering the ghostly plane…' Paige mumbled.

'Maybe he made her forget as part of the deal,' suggested Prue.

'My soul? The ghostly plane? Deal?' Phoebe questioned. 'What happened?'

Piper and Paige looked over at Prue, indicating for her to be the one to step up to the task of explaining.

'Er, Pheebs,' Prue said. 'You… were… dead, but you're not now. You're fine.'

Phoebe grimaced. 'I was… dead?'

Piper nodded solemnly. 'Yes… but you aren't anymore and that's what matters.'

'Oh, and we're powerless to boot,' Paige added. 'We don't care though, because we have you back.'

Phoebe nodded slowly, processing all of this new information. 'What day is it?' she asked.

'Valentine's Day,' Piper stated.

Suddenly Phoebe grinned. 'I was resurrected on Valentine's Day? How awesome is that?' Her smile suddenly disappeared as she turned to Prue. 'How's Andy? The last thing I remember was him being in the hospital…'

Prue did not answer. Instead she walked out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Phoebe turned to face her two other sisters. Their grim expressions coupled with Prue's abrupt exit were the only answer that Phoebe needed.

* * *

**A/N:** So Phoebe's back, Andy isn't, and the Charmed Ones are still not Charmed. Despite all of that, _Pardon My Past_ is still going to be sticking to the past life plot. How are they ever going to figure out what's going on without the help of magic? And oh no, that episode's all about the possibility of Phoebe dying, isn't it? Not exactly a spoiler, but I'm not likely to kill her off twice within the space of a few chapters, am I? I know she's not my favourite of the sisters, but I'm not that mean. Please review!

(I'm stupid enough not to have finished writing my version of the next episode yet, so there may be a wait for the next chapter.)


End file.
